Infantino gets backing from leading African football administrators

Gianni Infantino received messages of support from leading African football administrators as he seeks backing from the continent's 54 members to retain his position. Five influential football leaders issued statements offering support and welcoming the decision to drop his controversial plan to sell a stake in future World Cup revenue.

These messages came ahead of a Confederation of African Football's (CAF) executive committee meeting on Thursday, where they will discuss the abandoned plan to raise $4.2 billion from a new commercial rights body. While Asia, Europe, and CONCACAF expressed a loss of confidence in Infantino's leadership, CAF has maintained its counsel. CAF only released a statement last Wednesday saying it would study Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, which he abandoned on Friday. Leading committee members backing Infantino include CAF Vice President Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco), and FIFA Council members Hany Abo Rida (Egypt), Hamidou Djibrilla (Niger), and Ahmed Yhaya (Mauritania). Veron Mosengo-Omba, recently elected president of the football federation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and former CAF general secretary, also issued a statement of support.