By Marcus Moloko
The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) executive committee has backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino and endorsed a joint update issued by Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström following controversy over the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
FIFA acknowledged errors in the way the proposal was handled and apologised over the failure to properly involve the FIFA Council and Member Associations in the process.
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The FFE proposal, which would have created a FIFA-owned commercial subsidiary combining the organisation’s commercial rights and tournament operations, has since been withdrawn.
FIFA said it would review the process, with a report to be presented to the FIFA Council at its next meeting.
The controversy sparked criticism from other parts of world football over governance and consultation, with football authorities in Europe and elsewhere raising concerns about the process followed in developing the proposal.
CAF, however, welcomed FIFA’s response and reaffirmed its support for Infantino.
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe said the organisation remained committed to internationally recognised governance and transparency standards.
“CAF will continue to focus on making African Football amongst the best in the world and is reaffirming its commitment to adhering to global governance, transparency and auditing best practices.”
CAF said it would continue investing in the development of young players and coaches, national teams and domestic competitions across its 54 Member Associations, while seeking to strengthen the financial sustainability of African football through sponsorship and infrastructure development.
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The confederation is also continuing preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as its other continental competitions.
The CAF executive committee also unanimously reconfirmed its support for Infantino and thanked him, Grafström and the FIFA administration for their support of African football.
CAF also praised FIFA for the organisation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
