The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) announced on Friday it will endorse Gianni Infantino for another term as FIFA president in the March election. Infantino recently made two trips to the Caribbean to secure the bloc's support despite lingering controversy over his aborted World Cup investment plan. The CFU has 31 member nations, 25 of which hold voting rights.
This marks the second major voting bloc to publicly declare its backing for Infantino, following the Asian Football Confederation's endorsement last month. Infantino's reelection prospects have been significantly boosted by FIFA's plan to increase financial contributions to member associations from $10 million to $25 million, a substantial figure for smaller Caribbean nations. Beyond direct financial support, FIFA won favor with the countries through investments in development initiatives like the FIFA Forward program.
On Thursday, Infantino announced a $5.3 million investment in Aruba to build seven artificial turf pitches at clubs across the island. An Associated Press tally published last month indicated that Infantino was already closing in on a majority among FIFA's 211 member federations, even before the CFU's endorsement. Infantino's leadership of FIFA has come under intense scrutiny since July, when his secretive plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors including Josh Kushner was revealed in media reports.
A global backlash, including by senior FIFA executives, saw Infantino drop the project within days.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing