While UEFA is threatening boycotts and FIFPRO is calling for structural reform, the Confederation of African Football has broken from the pack — backing FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the organisation's apology letter without reservation.
CAF's Executive Committee "unanimously endorsed" the joint update from Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström on the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the controversial plan to sell minority stakes in FIFA's commercial operations — including the World Cup — to private investors. CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe went further, personally reaffirming his confederation's "commitment to adhering to global governance, transparency and auditing best practices."
That's a notably generous reading of a crisis that, just days ago, had one of Infantino's own assistants resigning, Arsène Wenger criticising the plans from inside FIFA's own walls, and Luis Figo calling for the president to step down entirely.
What the apology actually said — and why it wasn't enough for everyone
The FFE proposal, which promised to raise up to $4.2 billion by valuing FIFA's commercial arm at $20 billion, was leaked to The Times before its official unveiling on July 28. The backlash was swift and cross-continental. UEFA threatened to pull its member associations from FIFA tournaments. CONCACAF and the ACF added their voices. National leaders weighed in.
FIFA pulled the plug and convened a crisis meeting in Morocco. What emerged was a letter acknowledging that "errors were made after the proposal was leaked to media" and promising a review to be presented at the next FIFA Council meeting. A mild walk-back. Not an admission that the plan itself was the problem — just that the handling of the leak was clumsy.
UEFA isn't buying it. The continent's governing body has made clear that specific demands must be met before any boycott threat is lifted. FIFPRO, which represents professional players globally, condemned the letter outright and is pushing for meaningful structural change — not a reworded press release.
CAF's endorsement carries political weight, not just symbolic value
CAF's public support isn't nothing. Africa's 54 FIFA member associations represent the single largest voting bloc in FIFA's congress. Infantino has invested heavily in African football during his presidency, and the relationship is clearly paying dividends in moments like this one.
Motsepe's statement thanked Infantino specifically "for his support for African Football, over the years" and credited the FIFA administration for "a very successful FIFA World Cup 2026." The tone was warm. Transactional, even.
The fault lines inside world football's governing structure are now clearly drawn. CAF is on one side. UEFA and the players' union are on the other. Whether FIFA can satisfy the latter two without losing the goodwill of the former is the negotiation that will define the next chapter of this saga — and it's far from resolved.
