Infantino has positioned himself in middle of Spain-Morocco conflict

Even Caf members who did not qualify still benefited from the expanded tournament: a bigger and more lucrative World Cup meant greater financial distributions awarded to all members. All 211 Fifa members now receive a guaranteed minimum of $8m over each four-year cycle.

“We took a decision, and I personally support Gianni Infantino,” Caf president Patrice Motsepe said when backing Infantino for re-election last month, before the president’s Fifa Forward Enterprise plan broke. “He’s not just a good friend. He’s a loyal friend. He’s loyal to Africa.”

Caf’s response to Infantino’s botched plans to sell shares in the World Cup revealed their members’ enduring gratitude. Unlike the confederations representing Asia, Europe and North and Central America, Caf did not declare that it had lost confidence in Infantino. Four Fifa council members, including Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa, the vice-president of Caf, have all given their public backing to Infantino remaining in his role.

On Thursday night, the Caf executive committee also released a statement saying it unanimously endorsed the “Joint Update” by Infantino and Mattias Grafström, the Fifa secretary general.