{"id":1266652,"date":"2022-12-17T15:22:07","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T15:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/12\/17\/african-footballs-time-has-come-says-infantino\/"},"modified":"2022-12-17T15:22:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T15:22:07","slug":"african-footballs-time-has-come-says-infantino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/12\/17\/african-footballs-time-has-come-says-infantino\/","title":{"rendered":"African football’s ‘time has come’, says Infantino"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Fifa
Fifa boss, Gianni Infantino<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Fifa president Gianni Infantino believes African football has a bright future after Morocco\u2019s historic run to the World Cup semi-finals rubber-stamped the continent\u2019s best performance at the finals.<\/p>\n

No African side had ever made it past the quarter-finals, while two African teams reached the knock-out stage for only the second time in history \u2013 and the first since the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n

Four years ago, not one African team managed to get out of the group stage \u2013 so registering the worst World Cup for the continent\u00a0since 1982.<\/p>\n

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In Qatar however, all five African representatives won a group game to ensure that a record six victories were secured by the continent at that stage of a tournament later lit up by Morocco\u2019s stunning run.<\/p>\n

Having held their own against 2018 runners-up Croatia in their opening game, the Atlas Lions proceeded to beat Canada and\u00a0Belgium\u00a0before seeing off both\u00a0Spain\u00a0and\u00a0Portugal\u00a0in the knock-out phase.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delighted because for many decades, we\u2019ve been talking about the development of African football and when their time will come \u2013 their time has come,\u201d said Infantino.<\/p>\n

The 52-year-old paid particular tribute to Morocco, who will bid to become the first African team to win an effective World Cup \u2018bronze medal\u2019 when\u00a0they face Croatia\u00a0in the third-place play-off on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Morocco played exceptionally well \u2013 they were a great success and worked very, very well,\u201d he said. \u201cThey played with great desire, determination and undeniable quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cReaching a final can\u2019t be done by chance. It\u2019s the result of a long-term effort, investment by the Moroccan football federation, all the technical staff, and a young Moroccan coach who has also been in club football there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have shown us how you can play attractive and effective football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike many African countries, Morocco\u2019s football federation has invested millions of dollars into developing both infrastructure and players \u2013 with the results in Qatar having shown the fruits of that labour.<\/p>\n

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  • \u2018More excellent performances\u2019 from Africa to come<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \"Morocco<\/figure>\n

    Infantino also congratulated the other African teams at the finals, with\u00a0Tunisia defeating defending champions France\u00a0while Cameroon secured a first-ever African World Cup win against\u00a0five-time champions Brazil.<\/p>\n

    Meanwhile, African champions Senegal \u2013 who were eliminated on a \u2018fair play\u2019 ruling in 2018 \u2013 also joined Morocco in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

    \u201cSenegal qualified from the group stage, which wasn\u2019t the case in 2018, and then came up against a very strong England team,\u201d said the Fifa president, who took charge in 2016.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCameroon, Ghana and Tunisia also played very well and up to the last minute of the last matches, they had a chance of qualifying which shows you the standard of African football.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Speaking at a press conference in the run-up to Sunday\u2019s final between defending champions France and Argentina, Infantino believes the timing of Africa\u2019s improvement is perfect given the World Cup expansion to 48 teams from 2026 onwards.<\/p>\n

    In four years\u2019 time, the continent will have at least nine teams playing at the\u00a02026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, with the possibility of a tenth representative should Africa make it through an intercontinental play-off.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn the next World Cup, there will be\u00a0double the number of African teams qualifying,\u00a0which means there\u2019ll be other African teams too so we can look forward to some more excellent performances.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Fifa had hoped to use\u00a0the expanded 48-team format in Qatar\u00a0but dropped the idea because the small gulf state could not accommodate a larger tournament and sharing the event with their neighbours proved impossible.<\/p>\n

    In a separate development on Friday, Infantino announce that the Seychelles\u2019 hosting of the 2023 Beach Soccer World Cup has been\u00a0delayed until 2025,\u00a0with the United Arab Emirates now set to stage the event next year.<\/p>\n

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