Duke Udi says African football must tackle corruption before challenging FIFA reforms

Former Nigeria international Duke Udi has criticised African football leaders over their opposition to FIFA reforms, arguing that the continent lacks the moral authority to challenge world football’s governing body while corruption remains deeply rooted within its own football structures.

Udi’s comments come amid continuing debate over FIFA’s governance reforms and the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, an initiative that prompted strong reactions before eventually being shelved.

Speaking about the controversy, Udi said African football administrators should prioritise reform at home rather than directing their criticism towards FIFA President Gianni Infantino or decisions taken at global level.

His comments also reflect the wider dispute surrounding the ongoing FIFA, UEFA and Infantino saga, although Udi’s focus was firmly on the governance problems he believes exist within African football.

The former midfielder questioned Africa’s position in the international football administration debate, saying the continent’s credibility had been weakened by widespread corruption.

He argued that African officials could not effectively criticise FIFA while failing to resolve similar or more serious governance concerns within their own national and continental structures.

Udi went further by asking why African administrators would publicly oppose Infantino when, in his view, they had not done enough to confront corruption within their own football systems.

He also claimed that Infantino had demonstrated a level of transparency that many African football leaders had yet to match.

The former Nigeria international then issued one of his strongest criticisms of football governance across the continent, challenging anyone to identify an African football administrator whom he regarded as entirely free from corruption.

For Udi, that alleged lack of clean leadership has damaged Africa’s standing in the global game. He believes the continent must address its internal governance failures before its representatives can credibly oppose reforms introduced by FIFA or challenge decisions made at FIFA level.

His argument is that meaningful change cannot begin with public opposition to international football authorities. Instead, he says African football must first improve transparency, accountability and administration within its own institutions.

Udi concluded that corruption had become so deeply embedded in African football that administrators had struggled to govern their organisations effectively. In that context, he said, discussions about global reform were difficult to advance while fundamental problems remained unresolved at home.

The debate over FIFA’s reform agenda and Gianni Infantino’s leadership remains divisive, but Udi insists that opposing FIFA initiatives should not be Africa’s immediate priority.

He believes the continent’s football leaders should first confront corruption and strengthen the governance of their own institutions. Only then, he argues, will African football be in a stronger position to influence the direction of the global game.

Udi’s final assessment was that greater influence in world football would not come from opposing decisions in Zurich. Instead, he said, it would have to begin with transparency, accountability and reform across Africa itself.