Who Else Has Continued Criticizing Infantino and FIFA?
The English Football Association reportedly sent a letter to FIFA this week saying it no longer supports Infantino’s candidacy for reelection and that he should resign. The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 2027. CONMEBOL, the governing body of soccer in South America, expressed concerns Thursday about the lack of transparency around the withdrawn World Cup plan. Though it did not name Infantino, the organization said the future of soccer “can only be built on the basis of respect for institutional governance, sound governance and the democratic procedures that represent FIFA’s 211 Member Associations.” Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, the president of the Jordan Football Association and a former FIFA vice president, tweeted Thursday that FIFA “suddenly” released funding he said the organization owed the Jordanian FA, after earlier claiming it was being withheld as a form of “blackmail” in exchange for supporting Infantino. “While this is a good development for our players, it does not change the serious concerns we in the football world have regarding the FIFA leadership,” Ali tweeted. “And it does not change my clear position concerning the leadership of FIFA: my FA and I will not endorse president Infantino, nor will we vote for him.
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Contra
The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee pledged its support for Infantino in a Thursday statement, saying, “It is important to stress that although mistakes were made, everything that was done, was done in full compliance with the FIFA Regulatory Framework.” The Confederation of African Football is soccer’s governing body in Africa.
Key Background
Infantino’s plan, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise, sought to sell a minority stake of up to 20% of the World Cup to private investors, potentially generating $4.2 billion. The plan drew overwhelming backlash, with soccer legends and governing bodies blasting it for allegedly prioritizing shareholders over the game of soccer. The timing of the backlash could not be worse for Infantino, who is seeking reelection for what would be his fourth and final term as FIFA president. No candidates have officially submitted paperwork needed to run against Infantino next year, but CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa have been eyed as potential competitors. Both CONCACAF, the governing body overseeing North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and the AFC have blasted Infantino’s World Cup stakes proposal.
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Further Reading
Infantino Apologizes For ‘Errors’ But Will Remain FIFA President Despite Backlash (Forbes)