Foot: Infantino's tour of Africa between development and politics
FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
AFP - KARIM JAAFAR
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
5 mins
The President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino is currently touring Africa, twelve months after discussing avenues of reform for African football, and while the election of the new boss of the African Football Confederation ( CAF) is approaching.
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It has become a tradition, or almost.
Gianni Infantino is on a winter visit to Africa to talk about football development and through football.
The president of the International Federation (
FIFA
) began his 2021 tour with a stay in Mauritania, host of the Africa Cup of Nations under 20 (CAN U20).
The boss of world football took the opportunity to officially inaugurate the Nouadhibou Stadium where CAN U20 matches take place.
He, in passing, as a year earlier, described as "
exceptional
" the work of the Mauritanian Federation (FFRIM) and its boss, Ahmed Yahya.
“
FIFA is very proud of the use made of the FIFA Forward program at the new Nouadhibou Municipal Stadium
,” he said on February 16.
I congratulated the FFRIM and its president Ahmed Yahya, as well as the
CAF
, for having succeeded in organizing this tournament in the current sanitary conditions
”.
Inaugurations in Brazzaville and Kigali
Gianni Infantino has other inaugurations on his program.
In particular, he will devote FIFA's regional offices to Kigali and Brazzaville.
He is also expected to visit other Central African countries.
Before that, however, he went to Senegal to meet the Senegalese president, Macky Sall.
The Swiss journey will also have a political dimension.
He should continue his discussions with the President of the DR Congo Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, new boss of the African Union (AU) for a year.
Recently, the two leaders discussed the strengthening of a partnership signed in February 2019 between FIFA and the AU.
On the other hand, Gianni Infantino will not go to Algeria on February 21 and 22, as the Algerian Federation has already confirmed, citing “
special contingencies
” to explain this postponement.
Proposals still pending
This African tour of Gianni Infantino is also taking place in a particular context.
A year earlier, in Morocco, he
had thrown a real pavement in the pond
by suggesting to members of the African Football Confederation (CAF) to organize the African Cup of Nations every four years rather than every two years. .
He had also cracked down on several other proposals such as the creation of "
a real Pan-African club league
", the mobilization of a billion dollars for the construction of stadiums on the continent and the support by FIFA of the best. African referees.
Some of these ideas, aimed at "
projecting African football into the world elite
", have remained in abeyance since, due to the new coronavirus crisis.
However, it is difficult to imagine that the question of the frequency of the CAN will not return to the table soon.
CAF elections approaching
The subject is very sensitive in Africa because this competition is a real institution there and that these revenues support CAF.
Questioned by RFI, the Ivorian Jacques Anouma, the Senegalese Augustin Senghor and the Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya, three of the four candidates for the presidency of CAF, did not close the door at the suggestion of Gianni Infantino.
As for the fourth candidate, the South African Patrice Motsepe, he has not yet spoken publicly about his project for continental football.
The billionaire probably reserves his explanations for the presidents of national federations who will elect the new boss of CAF on March 12, 2021 in Rabat.
A very tense ballot since the current president of CAF, Ahmad, was suspended for five years by FIFA in November 2020 before the Court of Arbitration for Sport at least temporarily reinstated him in office pending a final judgment.
The Malagasy still hopes to be able to run for his own succession but will have to
rely on the green light from the FIFA Control Committee for this
.
The latter, according to article 27 of the regulations of the International Federation, carries out “
an eligibility check
” of “
candidates who are running for a seat on the Council
” of FIFA.
There is little chance that this Commission will agree with Ahmad, while awaiting an opinion from the expected CAS shortly after a hearing scheduled for March 2 ...
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