A high-ranking FIFA council member has withdrawn his support for Gianni Infantino, citing the dismissal of fellow executive Kevin Lamour as the “final straw.”
In a letter sent to the head of FIFA seen by Bloomberg News, Sándor Csányi also criticized the controversial plan to spin off FIFA’s commercial operations in a deal involving JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the overly political World Cup.
On Monday, Lamour was fired from his role as FIFA’s chief operating officer weeks after criticizing Infantino’s sale plans, Sky News reported. A spokesperson for FIFA confirmed his departure.
“The fact that his dismissal was prompted by his criticism of the above-mentioned initiative — an initiative that you yourself ultimately acknowledged to have been misguided — points to serious shortcomings in professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership,” Csányi said in the letter.
The decision is another blow for Infantino, who has been criticised by his own member associations as well as politicians. UEFA, whose members host the richest football leagues in the world, is leading the push to oust him. The European governing body, which includes five of the last six men’s World Cup winners, is mulling a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments if Infantino remains president.
Csányi, a previous supporter of Infantino, is one of the eight vice presidents on the FIFA Council, the main decision-making body of world football between meetings of the FIFA Congress. The Hungarian billionaire businessman is head of the country’s football association and has served on the FIFA Council since 2017.
The next FIFA presidential election is in March, and Infantino plans to run for a third four-year term, the last he could serve. Secretary General Mattias Grafström and members of the management board reaffirmed their support for his presidency following an emergency meeting earlier this month.