Why CAF may be warming to Infantino’s world cup sell-off while almost everyone else isn’t
Confederations representing 143 of FIFA’s 211 member countries have criticized and raised concerns about Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell part of the World Cup to private investors. But one major football body hasn’t joined the pushback: the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The gap in reactions
FIFA wants to sell up to 20% of a new $20 billion company to outside investors, including Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal. The plan has triggered one of the biggest revolts against Infantino since he became FIFA president. UEFA accused FIFA of trying to “enrich themselves and their friends.” In a follow-up statement, UEFA went further, pointing to how FIFA is pressuring member countries to agree: “FIFA cannot continue to use our sport to enrich themselves and their friends. It’s time to prioritise associations, clubs, leagues, players and fans.”
CONCACAF and the AFC (the North American and Asian football bodies) both said they found out about the plan from the news, not from FIFA itself, and asked for more details before deciding anything. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham posted that “football does not belong to investors… it was never anyone’s to sell.” Even Sepp Blatter, the man Infantino replaced as FIFA president after Blatter left in a corruption scandal spoke out too: “The close relationship between the FIFA President and the US President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No one has the right to sell our game.” One reply to his post summed up the irony: “We need you back Sepp. Your corruption was hidden much better.”
CAF’s response was very different. In a statement, CAF said it had “received correspondence today from FIFA on the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative,” and that CAF President Patrice Motsepe would meet with the CAF Executive Committee the following week to “assess and evaluate” the plan. CAF also told its own member countries, including Nigeria, to review the proposal and take part in FIFA’s consultation process. No condemnation. No demand for more transparency. No talk of a boycott.
Why CAF is holding back and it’s not really a secret
Motsepe has said plainly that this isn’t really about the deal itself, it’s about loyalty. At a press conference in Johannesburg, even as other football leaders called for Infantino to resign over a chaotic 2026 World Cup, Motsepe said: “I personally support Gianni Infantino… He’s not just a good friend. He’s a loyal friend. He’s loyal to Africa. I come from a background where when people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back.”
That’s very different from UEFA’s argument, which is about how the deal is structured and who benefits. Motsepe is defending Infantino as a person, not judging the deal on its merits.
There’s also a simpler reason African federations might be more open to this. Every one of FIFA’s 211 member countries is being offered a one-time $20 million payment if they support the deal by September 19 and UEFA has pointed out that countries who don’t support it risk losing that payment entirely. For rich federations in Europe, already earning billions from the Champions League, $20 million isn’t life-changing. That’s part of why UEFA can afford to say no. But for many African federations working with far smaller budgets, $20 million could genuinely transform youth programs, stadiums, or day-to-day operations. That’s a much harder offer to turn down.
What this shows
This isn’t simply “football purists vs. private investors.” It’s rich federations that can afford to reject easy money on principle, against poorer federations for whom $20 million is enough to make loyalty and financial need line up. Even Blatter himself no stranger to accusations of misusing FIFA’s money, is now speaking out against this kind of deal, which shows how far this plan has pushed people away from Infantino, even those who once ran FIFA the same way.
