President of the Mauritanian Football Federation and member of the FIFA Council, Ahmed Yahya has thrown his support behind Gianni Infantino, insisting that the FIFA president remains the right person to lead world football.
Yahya believes the majority of football associations worldwide want Infantino to remain in office, highlighting his leadership, investment in football development and commitment to giving all member associations equal opportunities.
“I am certain that Gianni Infantino is the right president. The majority want Gianni Infantino to stay,” Yahya declared to the media after the FIFA Council meeting on Zurich on Thursday.
The Mauritanian football chief defended Infantino’s leadership during discussions on FIFA’s governance, financial support for member associations and the need for reforms within the global governing body.
Addressing the withdrawal of a proposal at an Executive Committee meeting, Yahya revealed that Infantino apologised to committee members before a constructive discussion followed.
“After finally withdrawing this proposal, President Gianni Infantino apologised to the members of the Executive Committee. This was followed by a responsible debate, during which this issue was more or less shelved,” he said.
Yahya added that the Council was focused on finding solutions and advancing football’s interests rather than remaining caught up in disagreements.
“I believe that, in the interests of football, the Executive Committee is looking ahead and seeking solutions, above all with a positive attitude, by focusing on the good aspects that football has to offer today and trying to move forward,” he stated.
He also highlighted a proposal to provide each member association with $25 million over four years, describing it as a substantial increase in resources compared with a decade ago.
“Spread over four years, that is 25 times what was available ten years ago,” Yahya said.
He credited the expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams as one of the initiatives that had helped advance the global game, despite initial opposition to the decision.
“And that’s because there have been good ideas, such as the 48-team World Cup, which was initially contested by some but has proved vital for world football, and perhaps further projects will follow,” he added.
Speaking from an African perspective, the Mauritanian defended FIFA’s investment in football development, arguing that the funding could deliver tangible benefits for young players across the continent.
“I come from the African continent and know what I’m talking about. He wants to promote football; he wants everyone to be involved, and that is precisely why we expanded the World Cup to 48 teams – and that is exactly what has delivered results,” he said, referring to Infantino.
On calls for governance reforms, Yahya acknowledged that some European officials were pushing for changes but insisted that any reforms should cover the entire football administration structure.
“Our European brothers, want reforms within FIFA, but we too are calling for: If reforms are to be carried out at FIFA, then they must take place at all levels – at the level of our associations, at the level of the confederations, and, of course, at the level of FIFA itself,” he said.
He added that Infantino and the FIFA Council remained open to proposals that could improve the organisation.
“President Gianni Infantino and the members of the Council are completely open to reforms today and to anything that can improve world football and make the organisation more democratic, even better organised and better managed.”
Yahya also addressed questions surrounding the rescinding of a red card involving Balogun and Peace Prize, confirming that the matter had been discussed by the FIFA Council and that measures had been taken for the relevant committees to examine the issues.
He explained that the Disciplinary Committee had overturned the red card based on its regulations, adding that such decisions were not unprecedented in football.
“It is not the first red card to have been rescinded in the history of football,” he said, while reiterating that the Council was seeking solutions to the concerns raised.
On the prospect of an opposing candidate challenging Infantino, Yahya said the nomination process remained open until November 18.
“There is no ban on fielding candidates. The deadlines are set. We have until 18 November to see whether there is a candidate or not. That is democracy at FIFA,” he stated.
Nevertheless, he maintained that Infantino retained widespread backing within the international football community.
“But as you can also see, the majority of associations worldwide, as well as the confederations, support President Gianni Infantino,” Yahya concluded.
His comments underline the support Infantino continues to receive from influential figures within African football as debates over FIFA’s leadership, governance and future direction continue. – africasoccer.com
