Ghana Football Association President and CAF Second Vice President Kurt Okraku has restated Africa’s backing for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to continue as FIFA President as presidential race approaches.
Speaking in both his CAF and GFA roles, Okraku said the continent’s position hasn’t wavered. “I will speak wearing two hats – as a vice president of CAF and president of the Ghana Football Association,” he said, adding that CAF’s support for Infantino has been made clear publicly, including by CAF president Patrice Motsepe.
Okraku said CAF intends to see Infantino re-elected, crediting him with paying close attention to African football’s development and welfare over the years – going so far as to call him “like a twin brother to Africa.”
The remarks come against the backdrop of friction in world football following a controversial Infantino proposal that he later pulled back and apologized for.
Okraku argued the apology should settle the matter, and took a swipe at what he called political maneuvering from some European football figures, saying Africa “will always speak for itself” under Motsepe’s leadership.
He framed Africa’s stance as bigger than loyalty to one person – the continent, he said, wants sustained and growing investment in the game, along with any policy that’s properly discussed with African stakeholders first.
Okraku pointed to a resource gap as the core issue holding back African football: European nations can start developing players as young as three or four, he said, while many African countries can’t begin serious development until age 10, 12, or later due to funding constraints.
More investment, he argued, would help fix infrastructure, coaching, refereeing, and youth pathways across the continent.
He also struck a conciliatory note on Infantino personally, acknowledging he’s “not a saint” and is capable of mistakes – the same, he said, is true of UEFA’s leadership.
His view: once mistakes are owned, dialogue should follow. With the proposal now withdrawn, he said, the priority going forward is simply increased investment in the game.
Credit: ghanasoccernet
