By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists the world governing body was simply applying the rules when banning Morocco from promoting the country’s 2026 World Cup bid credentials before its own African supporters.
Earlier this month, FIFA intervened at the last minute during the Confederation of African Football (CAF) congress in Casablanca to kick a 2026 presentation by the Moroccan federation off the agenda, a move that infuriated both the Moroccans and CAF officials.
Their anger intensified when their only rivals for 2026, the three-nation bid led by the United States, were given authorisation by FIFA to address the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) in Johannesburg last week.
Interviewed in Mauritania on the fringes of FIFA’s latest executive summit, the FIFA president attempted to play down the public outcry in Africa over alleged double standards by stressing the need to avoid the kind of shenanigans that tainted the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
“It is for this reason that, for the World Cup 2026, it was decided to establish very strict and very clear regulations,” said Infantino.
“The rules are clear and must ensure that all candidates are treated the same. They say, for example … that candidates are not entitled to submit their candidacy to confederations unless they make a specific request to FIFA detailing their entire presentation.”
This, he reportedly made clear, was not done in advance by the Moroccans ahead of the CAF congress. However, it would appear he failed to explain why the 2026 rank outsiders were not contacted in time about being offered a similar opportunity to the US-led bid to make a presentation to the 14-nation Cosafa grouping.
Meanwhile Infantino has warned national associations to heed the lessons of the ongoing FIFAGate scandal and not use development funds for their own ends.
“No one should think of using football money for his own gains,’’ Infantino was quoted as saying. “We are asking each football federation to sign a contract with FIFA that focuses on accountability. We are monitoring and auditing centrally to make sure funds are used appropriately.”
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