African football keeps quiet on Fifa
Local football analyst Isack Hamata says the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is maintaining a ‘quiet diplomacy' compared to other continental football bodies. This week three […]
Local football analyst Isack Hamata says the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is maintaining a ‘quiet diplomacy’ compared to other continental football bodies.
This week three continental football bodies, the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa), the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), issued an open letter accusing Fifa president Gianni Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” with his aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal.
Fifa Forward would have been a new company created to manage commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold off to a private investment company.
“CAF’s approach is fundamentally rooted in a policy of quiet diplomacy; rather than public confrontation. Several factors explain this stance,” Hamata says.
He says under Patrice Motsepe, CAF has prioritised maintaining a close working relationship with Fifa to secure development funding and technical support, which are vital for African member associations.
Hamata says African football leadership has historically preferred internal negotiation over publicising grievances, viewing open conflict with Fifa as counterproductive to the continent’s standing in global football politics.
