Malawi FA president Fleetwood Haiya backs Gianni Infantino amid pressure

Malawi Football Association president Fleetwood Haiya told Reuters on Wednesday that he supports FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid pressure, citing Malawi's historic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup at the ongoing Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Malawi have emerged as one of the biggest surprises at the ongoing Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, with their run to the semi-finals securing their place at next year's Women's World Cup. "If you look at what Infantino has achieved when it comes to football development for the undervalued associations, and Africa at large, I would be very surprised if there will be any African association that would not support him," Haiya told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. Haiya said FIFA's greater emphasis on funding African football and efforts to narrow the gap between richer and less-developed football nations had played an important role in Malawi's rise.

The Malawi FA chief said he backed the decision to abandon Infantino's controversial plan to generate around US Dollars 4.2 billion through the sale of a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. He added that any replacement initiative must ensure that smaller and financially weaker football associations receive meaningful financial support.

"I still support Infantino. I can assure you that, having worked with him, he is not a guy who will advance his personal interests," Haiya said. "I'm not shaken in terms of my loyalty to him. "I do believe that every nation which is sober enough and believes in equal opportunity (will support Infantino). He believed in us when we talked to him about grassroots and women's football. "As a result, Malawi for the first time qualified for the World Cup. What else would you need beyond a president that will listen to you, who believes in your vision, a president that thinks the best way of developing football is by making sure everyone has equal opportunity?"

Infantino's original proposal included a 20 million dollar payment for each member association during the next funding cycle. That figure could have risen to 40 million dollars for associations that agreed to the commercial deal. Haiya said an additional 40 million dollars for Malawi's football system would significantly change the sport's landscape.

"Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world in terms of GDP. We have serious infrastructure issues. If you look at the training grounds and pitches our youngsters use, including the girls who have now qualified for the World Cup, you would be surprised," he said. "If we gave them better infrastructure and more resources, how much better could they do? We have the talent, but we lack the resources to provide our girls and boys with the platform to showcase that talent. Infantino believed in our projects."

Haiya said he would be open to seeing someone challenge Infantino in next March's FIFA presidential election but that there was no obvious challenger so far. "Those who are ready to fight Infantino at the ballot box should come out into the open. They should tell us what they are going to bring. As the Malawi FA, I need to understand what they are going to bring to Malawi," Haiya added. "We will listen and hear what they have to say, but they will have to convince us. I am not saying he (Infantino) is irreplaceable, but so far I am pleased with the way he manages FIFA and the way he respects every association. "The devil you know is better than the one you don’t. If you ask me now, I have endorsed Infantino and I am going to nominate Infantino."

Malawi becomes the latest nation to offer support to Infantino; he also got the backing of Argentina among other countries.