FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been invited by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to attend a two-day strategy conference in Cape Verde next month as he seeks to maintain support on the continent ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election.
A letter sent by CAF to its 54 member associations this week, seen by Reuters and verified by several associations, invited the presidents to the Oct. 7-8 meeting after CAF President Patrice Motsepe had proposed the gathering several times.
Motsepe, a South African mining billionaire, is a close ally of Infantino, who faces a potential challenge to his leadership after the collapse of a proposal to sell private investors a stake of up to 20% in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
CAF’s executive committee expressed its support for Infantino last month, while several African football associations have also publicly backed his bid for another term.
The plan prompted fierce opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF and led to calls for change at the top of FIFA. Africa expressed no objection to the plan and has since said it remains behind Infantino.
While past FIFA elections have often seen the African vote split, CAF’s endorsement contrasts with criticism of Infantino’s actions from other parts of the football world.
Africa’s 54 votes represent a significant bloc of the 211 member associations that would vote if Infantino faces a challenger in the election in Rabat in March.
The 56-year-old Swiss has confirmed he is seeking re-election, but no potential opponent has emerged despite UEFA saying it was searching for a credible challenger.
CAF said the conference agenda would be sent to member associations in due course.
On Oct. 9, there will also be a review of the 2026 World Cup, to which the national team coach of every African association has been invited. The review will be led by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is now FIFA’s chief of global football development.
FIFA has hosted reviews of tactical trends, refereeing, logistical matters and other issues from the field of play on every continent after every World Cup since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
