INFANTINO IN RABAT AS CAF CONSIDERS 24 MAN AFCON TEAM

ABUJA, Nigeria – FIFA President Gianni Infantino is at the head of a pool of global football administrators and stakeholders who are in Rabat, Morocco for a two –day African Football Symposium starting on Tuesday.

The FIFA supremo was received at the Mohamed V International Airport, Casablanca on Monday afternoon by CAF President Ahmad and his two deputies, Kwesi Nyantakyi and Omari Constant Selemani.

CAF insiders hinted thenff.com on Monday that the symposium, which will be followed by a CAF Extra-Ordinary General Assembly on Friday, has been put together to ferment robust new ideas and ideals for the transformation of the African game, and serve as a sort of game –changer that will drive the vision of the new CAF leadership that swept into office four months ago.

CAF President Ahmad and the President of the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football, Fouzi Lekjaa are chief hosts of the symposium taking place at the International Conference Centre, Mohammed VI, Skhirat.

NFF President Amaju Pinnick (like Lekjaa a Member of the CAF Executive Committee), Vice Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, former NFF General Secretary Musa Amadu and Director of Communications Ademola Olajire are in the Nigeria delegation in Morocco.

Thenff.com also learnt that a proposal to increase the number of teams at the Africa Cup of Nations finals from 16 to 24 teams, and switch the finals from January to the summer, is one of the key points to be discussed at the symposium and the extra-ordinary general assembly.

Proponents are hinging their position on a number of positives, including the fact that a 24 –team AFCON finals will mean more money for CAF, more money for the African FAs, involvement of more nations and therefore more fans in the Cup finals, involvement of more stakeholders of the African game and its capacity to propel the development of infrastructure around the African continent as co-hosting of the finals will ultimately be encouraged.