FIFA on Saturday issued a warning concerning a “concerted and ongoing effort” aimed at undermining Gianni Infantino, asserting that any challenges to his position must comply with the democratic protocols and statutes of the governing body.
Following the failure of the FIFA President’s plan to secure roughly $4.2 billion by selling a share in the commercial rights of the World Cup and additional tournaments, an increasingly intense dispute regarding his leadership has emerged. The plan faced immediate backlash, including a unanimous vow from all 55 UEFA nations to boycott all FIFA competitions, including next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2030 men’s World Cup, unless the proposal was abandoned in its entirety. Further internal pressure mounted when Infantino’s senior advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest, unequivocally opposing the deal and stating that the body was “mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification”.
Multiple football associations called for Infantino’s departure which necessitated an emergency summit in Morocco this week where FIFA’s executives reiterated their allegiance to the president.
The governing body sought to quell the expanding resistance, even as external critics like British Prime Minister Andy Burnham publicly declared that Infantino was “the wrong man to lead the organisation”. Infantino’s allies have begun to rally, with Mexico, Argentina, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) recently throwing their weight behind the FIFA president.
FIFA refrained from identifying the specific individuals allegedly involved in the effort to destabilize Infantino, nor did it clarify the exact claims or reports in question. The official communication came in the wake of coverage by The Telegraph concerning payments from UEFA to a previous staffer while Infantino served as general secretary for the European federation, something he and FIFA have refuted.
FIFA said, “Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s Member Associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA’s established democratic processes.”
The organization further maintained that recent media coverage featured “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” regarding both FIFA and its leadership, emphasizing its intent to “directly and vigorously” contest any reporting deemed inaccurate or deceptive.
FIFA added, “The FIFA president was democratically elected by FIFA’s member associations and continues to serve with their mandate.”
