Fifa chief Gianni Infantino has received a major reprieve ahead of the elections as 54 African nations have pledged their support to him. During an event in Cape Verde, Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), said that they are backing Infantino for a re-election. “There is a unanimous decision by the 54 Caf member associations to unconditionally support Gianni as president of Fifa. This is because of the history and the support that Gianni has given to African football,” he said.
During the same event, Infantino said that he was “proud” to have contributed to a little “revolution in African football. “As Fifa president, I am proud to have contributed with you a little bit in this revolution (in African football) in the last 10 years. With the Fifa Forward programme we have invested one billion dollars in 10 years in Africa, with 124 different projects and many other actions,” he said.
“When you go through a journey, sometimes concerns are raised. When they are raised, we have to address them. As far as we are concerned at Fifa, we address them always with the spirit of dialogue and with open arms, an open heart and an open mind. We can always be better and do better. Our commitment is to make sure that your football is going to continue to improve and grow, give you more opportunities. Ten countries at the (last) World Cup has been a success for the entire continent,” Infantino added while referring to Fifa’s shelved sell-off plans.
