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FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday pledged increased resources and continued support for African football, saying his governing body would seek additional funding to help the continent’s football reach the top of world football.
According to Reuters, Infantino made the promise while addressing the presidents of 54 African football associations at a football strategy conference in Cape Verde, South Africa.
Infantino highlighted FIFA’s financial contribution to African football since he became president in 2016, saying the FIFA Forward program had invested $1 billion in the continent over the past decade.
“With the FIFA Forward program we have invested a billion dollars in 10 years in Africa, with 124 different projects and many other actions,” said Infantino.
He said FIFA remained committed to creating more opportunities for African football and urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to communicate its needs so the governing body could provide further support.
“Our commitment is to ensure your football continues to improve and develop, giving you more opportunities,” he said.
“Ten countries in the (last) World Cup has been a success for the whole continent.
“We need to continue on this path together, because it is up to you as CAF to tell us what you want. How we can make you stronger and better.”
He said, “We will continue to seek the resources and improvements (funding) necessary to elevate the African game to the top of world football,” he said.
The FIFA president also called for open dialogue when concerns arise, and said football’s governing body was willing to address differences of opinion and improve its approach.
“When you go on a journey, sometimes worries arise. When they arise, we have to overcome them,” said Infantino.
“As far as we are concerned at FIFA, we have always approached it in a spirit of dialogue and with open arms, open hearts and open minds. We can always be better and do better.”
The conference comes amid intense scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership following the failure of his proposal in July to sell stakes in FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup.
The plan faced opposition mainly from European and North American football nations, and several countries later withdrew their support for Infantino ahead of FIFA’s presidential election next year.
