A Decade at the Helm: CAF Hails Infantino’s 10-Year FIFA Leadership

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has congratulated Gianni Infantino on his outstanding 10-year leadership as President of FIFA.

In a statement released Thursday on its website titled “CAF congratulates Gianni Infantino on his outstanding 10-year leadership as FIFA President,” the African football body reflected on what it described as a decade of impactful leadership at the helm of world football.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe praised Infantino’s contribution to the global game.

“CAF congratulates Gianni Infantino on the excellent leadership that he has provided as FIFA President over the past 10 years and for his enormous contribution to the development and growth of football throughout the world,” Motsepe said.

He emphasised that the impact of Infantino’s leadership extends beyond regional boundaries.

“African football and world football have a loyal and trustworthy friend and partner in Gianni Infantino. CAF wishes him good health and everything of the best,” he concluded.

Infantino was re-elected by acclamation in June 2019 for a second term at the FIFA Congress in Paris. He first assumed office in February 2016 following the departure of the disgraced former president, Sepp Blatter.

At the time, as reported by PUNCH Online, Infantino secured a convincing victory over Asian rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, polling 115 votes in the second round of the election held at the FIFA Congress, while the Asian candidate garnered 88 votes.

The Swiss-Italian, who previously served as general secretary of UEFA, pledged to lead the scandal-tainted organisation into a new era. At the time of his election, he took over the then 209-member, multi-billion-dollar body amid one of the most turbulent periods in its history.

Other contenders in the race included Prince Ali bin al Hussein, who secured 27 votes in the first round but only four in the second, and former FIFA official Jerome Champagne, who polled seven votes in the opening round and none in the final ballot. South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale withdrew from the contest before voting commenced.

With his tenure now spanning a decade, CAF’s endorsement underscores what it views as a strengthened partnership between African football and the global governing body under Infantino’s leadership.

— Punch