African fan activist on FIFA: “It’s the beginning of a global fan movement”

taz: Mr. Adebayo Akande, the “Football Supporters Africa” together with North American and European fan associations have published a statement in which they demand Infantino’s resignation and more transparency at Fifa. Why did you choose this?

Adebayo Akande: We have a responsibility to speak out about the problems at Fifa, especially the behavior of the President. At the 2026 World Cup, the completely inflated ticket prices excluded so many fans for the first time ever. Of course, it is generally more difficult to go to the World Cup from Africa, but we have always been able to do so in the past. This time not a single average African could afford a ticket. In addition, the host USA has disenfranchised us by imposing entry bans on some of our countries. To our surprise, FIFA was not on the side of the fans, but on the side of the USA. And then of course there was the “Fifa Forward Enterprise”, Infantino’s privatization plan for FIFA tournaments, which he wanted to push through against the will of many.

lives in Lagos (Nigeria), is committed to popular football there, and is the lead fan coordinator for “Football Supporters Africa”.

taz: Your positioning was still very unexpected. The African associations have rallied behind Infantino; he has always had his strongest support in Africa.

Akande: FIFA has treated us Africans disrespectfully. Infantino has said African associations will get more money through his privatization plans. It felt like we were being bribed. Yes, African football needs more money, but only with transparent plans that all players in football support. That's why we joined forces with colleagues from all over the world against Infantino.

taz: Cameroon's association president Samuel Eto'o recently said that football is already commercialized and that Europe is only pursuing its own interests in the dispute with FIFA. Infantino is good for Africa. Isn't there something to that?

Akande: Not everyone in Africa feels that way, especially the fans. Sure, money can make a big difference. It's okay to be happy about money from FIFA. But how is this distributed? There are complaints about its use in many African countries. Often it doesn't reach the base. Here in Nigeria, for example, there was just a dispute about an expensive stadium construction project using FIFA funds that many people were not happy with. This kind of thing is happening all over the continent. By the way, we heard from association circles that not everyone there supports Infantino either. The continental association Caf sets a position without associations being able to express themselves.

taz: How can you guarantee a more sensible use of the funds?

Akande: FIFA and the African associations must fully disclose where the money goes. Every cent must be traceable. It is not enough to simply send money to Africa. It should flow into popular sport, into building football from below, into real development. Not in the pockets of individuals.

taz: You have allied yourself with the “Football Supporters Europe”, among others, but your ideas are opposite: many fans in Europe are fighting against big investors and commercialization, while many fans in Africa want them. Is that a problem?

Akande: Our discussions will always be different from those in Europe because football there is much more stable and commercialized. Many European leagues have major TV contracts and sponsorship from outside FIFA and UEFA. In North Africa, football ecosystems are at least somewhat stable, but a lot needs to happen in sub-Saharan Africa. We want bigger TV contracts, investors, better marketing. In the Caf Champions League, the winner gets less than a playoff participant in the European Champions League. We have to close this gap. And with a commercialized ecosystem, not with handouts.

taz: Does that mean more independence from FIFA?

Akande: Yes, we want to advance things ourselves. We demand better infrastructure, higher commercial value. We want to be able to keep our best players. Many African football associations are very poorly run and there is a lot of corruption. We cannot commercialize football like this. In some cases we also have problems with government interference. We have completely different issues than in Europe, but that will always be the case.

taz: Is there not enough talk about African perspectives globally? The exclusion of many African fans from the World Cup, for example, wasn't even a cause for concern in Europe.

Akande: Africa will have to solve its own problems. Europe should deal with its own problems. We can carry our cross ourselves. We are beyond colonialism. Africa is a grown man and doesn't have to wait for Europe to come and take care of it.

taz: But European associations could have declared solidarity?

Akande: If we have problems with entry bans, we have to solve them diplomatically. FIFA should have spoken to the USA, not Europe. It should have sought guarantees that a qualified country and its fans would be allowed to enter. I was at the World Cup in Brazil, at the World Cup in Russia and in Qatar - I just wasn't there in the USA. It is okay for Europe to raise its voice in solidarity. But it's not their job to fight for us.

taz: Did you receive any feedback from African associations after your statement against Infantino?

Akande: No. Here in Africa fans are quite isolated, we have no formal cooperation such as “Football Supporters Europe” with UEFA. We're still fighting for it. We only have informal conversations. But we have a good network of national fan organizations.

taz: How many countries are you represented by fans?

Akande: There are currently 13 members. We have most of the members in Tunisia, as well as Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania. We are growing. We have organized many conferences and workshops over the past 15 years and have our members trained at “Football Supporters Europe”. We have already had discussions with the African continental association Caf and hope for official recognition. They have told us that they are interested in our work, but they do not yet have the necessary structures in place to involve us. For example, they don't have a fan representative at all.

taz: The call against Infantino is the first truly global movement in football. Will that change anything?

Akande: Yes, I think this was just the beginning. There will be more to come. We are currently experiencing the start of a new global fan movement. One where we work together to ensure that we are heard.

taz: The FIFA presidential election is coming up in March 2027, and Africa could tip the scales. How do you think the African associations will vote?

Akande: Honestly, many will be for Infantino. But a few might decide against it. The failed “Fifa Forward Enterprise” changed the debate here too. A few countries have already started to withdraw. However, this will not happen to the same extent as elsewhere.

Akande: Europe is currently doing everything it can to discredit him. He is losing supporters there every day, as well as in North America. One of the deciding factors will be which candidate runs against him. If this candidate wins sympathy, Infantino will definitely have to do a lot more than he does now to be re-elected.