Gianni Infantino is confident he can win the Fifa presidency after picking up support in the Caribbean.
The election for the Fifa presidency takes place next month and after attending a meeting on Sunday of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Infantino said the feedback had been positive. and won the backing of Barbados Football Association president Randy Harris.
Barbados Football Association president Randy Harris told Infantino he had received “excellent feedback” from CFU members.
Swiss Infantino is one of five candidates including Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, former FIFA deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne of France, South African businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale and Jordanian former FIFA executive committee member Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan.
Infantino, who is acting head of European football body Uefa, dismissed speculation of a deal with rival candidate Sheikh Salman, which would see him accept the role of general secretary under a Salman presidency.
“I am going for the win,” he said. “I am the candidate for the presidency and this support gives me even more responsibility and even more will to go until the end to become president of FIFA.
“I am candidate for president not for general secretary and I have support from all over the world and many more will come out… With a lot of respect for all the candidates of course, I am there to become FIFA president.”
Harris said Infantino’s message about development programmes for countries outside the the traditional football markets, had gone down wel with delegates.
“His platform is about football and improving the game and of course a small country like Barbados we need that kind of vision,” he said.
Infantino, who said he had proposed increasing funding for development programmes, said that Harris’s backing was a shot in the arm for his bid to succeed outgoing Fifa chief Sepp Blatter.
“This is certainly a major support from outside of Europe. I think it is the first open support to any of the candidates from outside of their ‘own continent’,” he said.
Infantino said his manifesto plans, which will be unveiled this week, had been at the centre of his presentation.
“I spoke about reforms that are needed for Fifa, I spoke about having associations participate much more in Fifa life, for Fifa to become a real democracy,” he said.