Still, Caf’s close ties to Fifa have brought drawbacks, with Motsepe appearing reluctant to openly challenge Infantino or his organisation’s calls.
Fifa drew heavy criticism when US authorities refused entry to Somali referee Omar Artan ahead of the World Cup, and later again for pausing the one-match suspension given to United States striker Folarin Balogun after a red card at the tournament.
Caf declined to publicly criticise the world governing body on either matter despite fierce statements from elsewhere.
Fifa’s expanded Club World Cup, staged in June and July last year, forced the 2025 Afcon into a December-to-January window, creating friction with leading European clubs over player release dates.
And the move to stage Afcon every four years from 2028, rather than every two, was widely viewed as serving Fifa and the global calendar more than Africa. Fifa general secretary Mattias Grafstrom sat alongside Motsepe when the announcement was made.
Johansen acknowledges that funding from Fifa Forward Enterprise could be transformational for many in Africa, but she argues the sport’s long-term integrity is at stake.
“It’s an offer that’s hard to turn down,” she said.
“We in Africa need the money.
“But we’ve reached a point where we must know where to draw the line and not sacrifice the beautiful game.”
Infantino indicated that Fifa’s proposals would need a simple majority to pass — 106 of its 211 members voting in favour.
Uefa has 55 votes, Asia 46 and Concacaf 35.
If all associations in those confederations follow their leaders’ stance, 136 nations would already oppose Infantino’s plan.
Even if Caf’s 54 members side with the Swiss, the rest of the world could still deny the second-largest and second-most populous continent what many see as a much-needed windfall.
Additional reporting by BBC Sport Africa’s Celestine Karoney.