The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unanimously endorsed the "update" presented by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafström regarding the "FIFA Forward" initiative, affirming its commitment to making African football among the best in the world and to upholding the highest standards of governance and transparency.
In an official statement, CAF noted the content of the update, which acknowledged that errors had occurred in creating the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise project. The statement affirmed there had been no intention to exclude the FIFA Council and the member associations from the process, and that the matter should have been handled differently.
Infantino and Grafström offered a clear apology for those errors and pledged they would not be repeated. A necessary review will be conducted, with its findings submitted to the FIFA Council at its next meeting. FIFA also withdrew the proposal that was to be put forward for the approval of the member associations and the FIFA Council, insisting all procedures had followed FIFA's regulatory framework despite the errors.
CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe said the confederation welcomes and supports the joint update. He stressed that CAF would keep its focus on developing African football and reaffirmed its commitment to the best global practices of governance, transparency and auditing.
Governance, legal procedures and transparency matter above all else in Africa, Motsepe added, and remain non-negotiable. This is the conduct CAF expects from governments, companies and institutions, and to which the confederation itself is committed.
Motsepe affirmed CAF's commitment to keep working with FIFA, the member associations and the other continental confederations to protect the best practices of governance, legal procedures and transparency, and to help develop football worldwide.
He pointed to the confederation's continued focus on developing male and female players, coaches and the national teams of the 54 member associations, alongside amateur and professional competitions across the continent.
Discussions with sponsors, partners and current and new investors have made progress, Motsepe revealed, work aimed at securing financial self-sufficiency and independence for CAF and at building and developing stadiums and infrastructure.
He also noted the progress in preparations for the "TotalEnergies" Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, along with other competitions.
The executive committee affirmed its unanimous support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino and thanked him for backing African football. It also thanked him, secretary general Mattias Grafström and the FIFA administration for organising the 2026 World Cup.
Praise followed for the high standard of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations currently being held in Morocco, which the statement hailed as a brilliant success.