CAF Executive Committee (“EXCO”) Media Statement
The CAF Executive Committee (“EXCO”) unanimously endorses the “Joint Update” by the FIFA President and Secretary General on the FIFA Forward Enterprise and will continue to focus on making African Football amongst the best in the world and adhering to governance and transparency global best practices.
The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) today unanimously endorsed the “Joint Update” by the FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström on the FIFA Forward Enterprise (“FFE”).
CAF has taken note of the statements in the “Joint Update” that: “we acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (‘FFE’). It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and it should have been handled differently. We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting. Furthermore as already known, the proposal which would have been subject to the approval of the FIFA Member Associations and the FIFA Council, is now off the table. There are always lessons to be learned, and we will continue to improve our processes in light of this experience. In this instance however it is important to stress that although mistakes were made, everything that was done, was done in full compliance with the FIFA Regulatory Framework.”
The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “CAF welcomes and endorses the “Joint Update” by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström. CAF will continue to focus on making African Football amongst the best in the world and is reaffirming its commitment to adhering to global governance, transparency and auditing best practices. For us in Africa, adherence to governance, due process and transparency is crucial and non-negotiable, as this is the practice and conduct we expect from our governments, business and other institutions and organisations. This is also the conduct that is expected from CAF. We are committed to continue working together with FIFA, its Member Associations, other Football Confederations and stakeholders to safeguard and adhere to governance, due process, and transparency global best practises and to contribute to the development and growth of Football worldwide. CAF will also continue to focus on developing our boys and girls football players, coaches and trainers, the National Teams of our 54 Member Associations and the amateur and professional leagues on the African Continent. Good progress is being made in discussions with our current and new sponsors, partners and investors to ensure that CAF continues to be financially self-supporting and independent and that stadiums and other Football infrastructure is constructed and upgraded. Progress is also being made in the preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (“AFCON”) Kenya Tanzania Uganda (“PAMOJA”) and other CAF Competitions”.
The CAF EXCO also unanimously reconfirmed its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and thanked him for his support for African Football, over the years. President Infantino, the FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and the FIFA Administration were also thanked for organizing a very successful FIFA World Cup 2026.
The quality of football at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (‘WAFCON’) 2026, that is currently underway in Morocco, is very high and this competition has been a huge success.
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