Infantino invited to CAF conference in Cabo Verde — Channel NewsAsia
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been invited to the two-day Strategic Conference of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which will take place on October 7–8 in Cabo Verde. The presidents of all 54 CAF member associations have also been invited to the meeting.
Channel NewsAsia reports, citing Reuters. CAF sent invitations to member associations this week. Reuters reviewed the letter, and its authenticity was confirmed by the confederation's member associations.
Support for Infantino
CAF President Patrice Motsepe had previously raised the issue of holding such a meeting on several occasions. The report describes him as a close ally of Infantino.
CAF's executive committee expressed support for Infantino last month. Individual African football associations also said they support him ahead of the FIFA presidential election.
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Infantino has confirmed his intention to seek re-election. The election is due to take place in March in Rabat. A potential challenger to the incumbent president has not yet been announced, although UEFA said it was looking for a worthy candidate. If Infantino gets a rival, 211 FIFA member associations will vote, of which 54 represent Africa.
Investment proposal
CAF's support came after the failure of Infantino's proposal to sell private investors a stake of up to 20% in FIFA football tournaments, including the World Cup. The initiative faced strong opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, and also prompted calls for a change in FIFA leadership. The African side did not raise objections to the plan and said it supported Infantino.
The agenda for the CAF conference is to be sent to associations later. A review of the results of the 2026 World Cup, involving national team coaches from all African associations, is also scheduled for October 9. It will be chaired by former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, who is now FIFA's Director of Global Football Development.
