Five African Fifa Council Members Back Infantino as $8 Million Forward Funding Anchors Support
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 6
Five African Fifa Council Members Back Infantino as $8 Million Forward Funding Anchors Support
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 6
Summary
Five of Africa’s seven Fifa Council members — from Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania and Comoros — have publicly backed Gianni Infantino after he withdrew the investor-stake proposal.
Support is tied largely to Fifa’s Forward programme, launched in 2016, which many African federations rely on for infrastructure and development where commercial and state funding is scarce.
Nigeria alone is eligible for up to $8 million in current Forward funding, while a $4.88 million Abuja technical-centre rebuild illustrates the scale of projects underpinning that loyalty.
Morocco and Egypt remain key institutional allies: Rabat hosted senior executives who backed Infantino, while Cairo-based Caf officials increasingly want Fifa support to bring stronger governance and more African autonomy.
Backing is not universal — South Africa’s sports minister and DR Congo’s federation praised Infantino, but critics such as former Sierra Leone FA chief Isha Johansen warned the scrapped plan risked over-commercialising football.