CAF’s Nyantakyi and Camara elected to Fifa council

Nyantakyi

Nyantakyi was a narrow winner in the election to take up a new seat on the FIFA council

Kwesi Nyantakyi and Almamy Kabele Camara have been elected to fill two new Confederation of African Football seats on the Fifa Council.

Nyantakyi is president of the Ghana Football Association, and Camara, from Guinea, is a Caf vice-president.

They will complete a seven-member African delegation at a meeting of the expanded Fifa Council on 13-14 October.

The meeting in Zurich should begin talks to expand the 2026 World Cup to 40 teams and start the bidding process.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended CAF's Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo on Thursday, said: "Africa has a very important role in football.

"We have to move into action, and let's give Africa the place it deserves in world football. 

Africa will benefit most from a proposed increase in the football investment program.

"It is my wish that a 40-team World Cup will have at least two more slots for Africa. 

CAF must support FIFA to make this possible."

The election of Nyantakyi and Camara was confirmed by CAF on Thursday after the pair had earned enough votes in a four-candidate contest.

Nyantakyi received one more vote than third-placed Ahmad of Madagascar in the election, which was decided by the 54 CAF member federations.

Camara and Nyantakyi will hold their seats only until 17 March, when they face re-election at the next CAF Congress, which is being held in Addis Ababa.

Also on Thursday, the assembly rejected a proposal from the Djibouti Football Federation to end the rule, introduced just four years ago, that restricted potential candidates for the CAF presidency only to members of its 15-man executive committee.

The rule has been seen as an attempt by long-serving president Issa Hayatou to hand-pick his successor.