Speculation is mounting that FIFA president Gianni Infantino is manoeuvring to shore up his position ahead of the presidential elections. His plan? Deepen ties with the African federations, Morocco above all, as his relationship with several European counterparts fractures.
According to journalist Tim Wigmore in Britain's "Daily Telegraph", Infantino travelled to the Moroccan capital Rabat this week and met members of the FIFA board of directors, followed by officials from the Confederation of African Football. The trip forms part of his push to cling on, leaning on the backing he enjoys across a continent of 54 national federations. That's more than a quarter of FIFA's members, handing them decisive weight in the presidential elections.
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Crucially, the Confederation of African Football refused to join the continental federations that announced their waning confidence in Infantino. Quite the opposite. Its president Patrice Motsepe declared explicit support for the FIFA chief continuing, while four members of the FIFA council, led by Moroccan CAF vice-president Fouzi Lekjaa, renewed their public backing.
The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football went further with a statement unanimously endorsing the joint update from Infantino and FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafström on the recent crisis. That row centred on a plan to sell a share of the World Cup to investors, which Infantino abandoned after fierce criticism, particularly from Europe.
Infantino's growing support for Morocco hosting the 2030 World Cup final fits the same pattern. The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid had led the race, but the FIFA president is now pushing for the new Hassan II stadium in Casablanca. Being built with a capacity of 115,000 spectators, it would become the largest in football.
Wigmore added that staging the final in Morocco would help Infantino tighten his grip on the African federations. Handing it to Spain, by contrast, would do little for his electoral hopes given his soured relations with UEFA.
Morocco carries added significance for another reason. The upcoming FIFA presidential elections will be held during the congress, scheduled for the North African country next March, and Infantino has already made clear he wants a fourth term.
The Morocco and Spain dispute
Infantino's move also drops him into the heart of the escalating dispute between Morocco and Spain. Political tension between the two countries, sharpened by the recent migration crisis at the city of Ceuta, has added a geopolitical dimension to the debate over who hosts the 2030 World Cup final.
Football feels that friction too. Spain flatly rejects any idea of shifting the final to Morocco.
Rafael Louzán, president of the Spanish Football Federation, had earlier insisted Spain would be "the leader of the 2030 World Cup", and that the final must be held on Spanish soil.
For Infantino, the report concludes, these tensions are an opportunity. He casts himself as a champion of expanding football's reach beyond the traditional European powerhouses, leaning on the African base that kept his predecessors João Havelange and Sepp Blatter in the FIFA presidency for years.