FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reaffirmed the world football governing body’s commitment to expanding investment in African football, revealing that $1 billion has been committed to development programmes across the continent over the past decade.
Speaking at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) strategy meeting in Cape Verde, Infantino stressed that Africa’s growing influence on world football must be matched by greater investment in infrastructure, talent development and opportunities for players to compete internationally.
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“African talent has shaped and is shaping more and more world football. And we have to provide the opportunities for this talent to shine at the global stage,” Infantino declared.
The FIFA president highlighted the impact of the FIFA Forward Programme, disclosing that substantial resources had already been directed towards improving football facilities and development structures across African countries.
“With the FIFA Forward Programme, we have invested in ten years one billion US dollars in Africa. Five hundred million only in the last four years, 124 different projects and many other actions,” he said.
Infantino also identified inadequate stadium infrastructure as a major obstacle to football development, revealing that several African national teams had previously been forced to play international fixtures outside their countries.
“Two years ago, 26 African countries could not play their matches at home because they did not have a stadium that was in conformity with the standards,” he explained.
“Now 14 of them play at home.”
The FIFA president maintained that the ultimate objective was to ensure more African countries could host international matches on their own soil, reducing the financial and logistical burdens associated with staging home fixtures abroad.
“Our common objective is, of course, to have even more, and all of you being able to play your home matches on your home territory,” he stated.
Infantino assured African football stakeholders that FIFA would continue seeking additional resources and investment opportunities to strengthen the continent’s competitiveness.
“We will continue to look for the possibilities, for the resources, for the increases that are necessary to boost African football really at the top of the top, at the global stage,” he added.
For Infantino, Africa’s influence on world football is undeniable, but sustained investment in facilities, development programmes and opportunities remains essential to unlocking the continent’s full potential.
