Marcellin Bokovi, head of Benin's football federation, said football officials across Africa are placing development above administrative disagreements surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Progress the continent makes in the sport will guide future decisions on leadership, Bokovi told Reuters on Friday in Katowice, where Benin's team was training ahead of the Under-20 Women's World Cup.
The tournament, which runs through September 27 in Poland, is FIFA's first major competition since Infantino proposed selling a stake in World Cup broadcasting rights to private investors. Infantino abandoned the plan, valued at roughly $20 billion in commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments, in late July after intense opposition from UEFA and other football bodies.
Infantino apologized for "errors" in proposing what he called the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" initiative but later defended the idea as a way to distribute more money to poorer national federations. He has announced plans to seek a fourth term as FIFA president in March 2027 and still has backing from the African and South American confederations, though he has faced calls to resign.
"It is not for me to say whether he is the right person or not, but we look at the record of achievements over the past nearly ten years," Bokovi said. "What matters to us is that Africa makes progress in developing football, and that is what we will base our position on in the future."
Gideon Fosu, a member of Ghana's football federation executive committee, offered similar views. "I really think that Infantino's genuine passion for helping develop football in Africa is something I really appreciate," Fosu said. "The support needed is what I wish everyone would look at beyond setting boundaries."
Four African teams are competing in the Under-20 Women's World Cup: Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania.
