Infantino off to good start, changes needed at CAF

Hamza Nkuutu The headof world football governing body, Gianni Infantino campaigned on the platform of expanding the World Cup to 48 teams up from 32, starting with the 2026 edition. An expanded World Cup was one of the key points in the election manifesto of Mr. Infantino, who was voted in as the president of Fifa in February of 2016. The Swiss’ victory in Fifa’s emergency election came perhaps as a surprise. The next two tournaments will retain the 32 teams with Africa having had five places since the last increase in 1998, except for 2010 when, with the finals was held in South Africa, there were six African nations. Infantino’s idea was approved by Fifa’s rule-making council by a unanimous vote last month, and under the new format, the first round will have 16 groups of three teams, from which the top two teams will qualify and advance to a knockout round that will comprise 32 teams. In justifying his concept, Infantino, a career football administrator from Switzerland, said 135 of Fifa’s 211 members had never qualified for the tournament and that more countries would now have the “chance to dream”. Yes, to dream, even Rwanda can, especially if Africa’s demand of five more slots at the expended finals tournament is accepted by Fifa. The new-look tournament will increase the number of matches from 64 to 80, but the former Secretary General of Uefa, said it would require the same number of match days and stadiums as par the current format. Infantino’s notion has been heavily criticized by top European clubs but other Fifa members, particularly in Africa and Asia, have historically been in favour of the tournament’s expansion, which would give them more places in the finals. Some say Infantino, who never played football at a professional level, is an “accident” Fifa president due to the fact that, had Michel Platini, his former boss at Uefa, been cleared of wrongdoing by Fifa’s independent ethics committee in time to re-enter the race, Infantino would have stepped aside. With Platini barred from the sport for eight years, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan was the bookmakers’ favourite to be elected Fifa’s president but that didn’t happen and now we have an “accident” president, who has a lot to prove, mostly to his critics. Infantino is currently on what one would describe as ‘Thank You’ tour of Africa, which took him to different countries, with Rwanda being the latest stop. He promised to return 5 million dollars of Fifa money to all of its nations to spend on football development. He was expected to be in Kigali for a day, having arrived on Saturday afternoon en-route from Kampala, and leaves on Sunday after laying a foundation stone for the proposed Rwf3.85 billion Ferwafa Village (Hotel) in Remera and holding meetings with high profile football and government officials. Time up for Hayatou! But while we see or at least expect changes at Fifa, the same can’t be said of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), where the president Issa Hayatou, who came into power (read elected) in March 1988 and he still feels is the only man with a vision to take African football forward! The 70-year old Cameroonian former athlete and sports executive, is contesting for a record eighth term, but only twice before has been challenged, with both rivals coming from southern Africa, surviving on both occasions after defeating Armando Machado of Angola and Ismael Bhamjee of Botswana. However, his latest re-election bid faces what some observers believe is the greatest threat ever—his challenger, Ahmad Ahmad, also from southern Africa was this week unanimously endorsed by The Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA). According to reports, Ahmad, 57, the head of Madagascar Football Association, also has the backing of 14 member states under the umbrella of ‘Young FA bosses’ from across Africa, who are working as a group to wrestle power from Hayatou, who’s seen in some quarters as authoritarian. Under any circumstances, 29, close to 30 years in power is enough for any human being, in an elective office, to be able achieve most of the goals that made them run for that office in the first place, and so it wouldn’t be wishful thinking to call on Mr. Hayatou to let the younger generation take over. When the elections take place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on March 16, expectations will be sky high for those who want to see change at Caf, but you can’t bet your mortgage on that happening, given Hayatou’s money and influence on most African FAs, thanks to his long stay at the helm. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

Sports

Infantino off to good start, changes needed at CAF