Malawi created history a few days ago, as they qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 for the first time in their history, after they surprised everyone and qualified for the semi-final of the Women’s African Cup of Nations. This has resulted in some positve news for FIFA President Gianni Infantino in these troubling times for him, as the president of the Malawi Football Association, Fleetwood Haiya, has pledged allegiance. Thus Malawi becomes the second nation from Africa after Egypt to support Infantino, and joins a significant list of nations, most prominently Argentina.

Speaking to Reuters, Fleetwood Haiya said that Gianni Infantino has done enough for the development of smaller nations, and African countries will majorly support the cirrent FIFA President, as he vyes for his third term in the upcoming Presidential elections.

“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 said.

Haiya emphasized that FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s commitment to funding African football has been instrumental to Malawi’s success.

While the Malawi FA president supported the decision to scrap Infantino’s highly debated proposal to raise $4.2 billion by selling a minority stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup, he stressed that any alternative plan must continue to deliver substantial financial backing to smaller associations.

“I still support Infantino. I can assure you that, having worked with him, he is not a guy who will advance his personal interests.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?”

Gianni Infantino’s initial proposal would have guaranteed a $20 million payment to each member association over the next funding cycle, a figure that could have doubled to $40 million for those agreeing to the now scrapped deal. For a country like Malawi, an injection of $40 million would fundamentally alter the sport’s landscape, according to Fleetwood Haiya.

“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,” Haiya explained.

“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,” he added.

With UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC in hands against Gianni Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential elections in March, the Malawi FA president stated he is open to challengers stepping forward, though he noted an absence of clear contenders. He challenged any potential rivals to present actionable plans that specifically address the needs of financially restricted associations like Malawi.

“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,” Fleetwood Haiya said.

“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,” he added.

Ultimately, Haiya’s stance remains firm on maintaining the current leadership.

“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,” he concluded.