Infantino warns CAF he’ll maintain his tough stance on corruption

Hours before the AIPS Sport Media Award ceremony in Budapest, Hungary, Fifa president Gianni Infantino discussed issues in Africa.

In the hour-long “AIPS meets Gianni Infantino” session with AIPS President Gianni Merlo, Infantino indicated he retains hope for football in Africa but understands certain measures have to be put in place to ensure the effective management of resources on the continent.

“I hope Caf has realised I'm going to be tough on corruption,” Infantino asserted.

“There is hope in Africa and we will pay the arbitrators to avoid corruption. It is not meddling but we want the best for football on the continent and they will be paid by Fifa to avoid influence from governments.

“I want to see several African countries at the cutting edge of the world. Governance has some serious problems in Africa that we want to solve that.

“The millions of dollars we spend must not go to anyone's pocket. We want to invest in Africa, not for a president, but for a country: for example the construction of stadiums. Without the infrastructure without the stadiums how you can develop football?”

Furthermore, the Fifa boss explained that his suggestion for the Africa Cup of Nations to be held every four years will improve the competition’s attractiveness.

“In Africa things happen differently from Europe. The Africa Cup of Nations takes place every two years because it helps to build stadiums and generate money. However, maybe holding the competition every four years makes it more attractive instead of every two years.”

Infantino first pitched the idea in a recent visit to Morocco for a Caf seminar in Rabat, which focused on the development of infrastructure in Africa.