FIFA warns of effort to undermine Infantino as leadership crisis deepens
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The fallout has cast a shadow over Gianni Infantino’s bid for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027.
PHOTO: REUTERS
FIFA on Aug 8 warned against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine president Gianni Infantino, saying attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body’s statutes and democratic procedures.
The statement came amid an increasingly bitter stand-off over Infantino’s leadership following the collapse of his proposal to raise about US$4.2 billion (S$5.4 billion) by selling a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments.
The plan triggered criticism from UEFA, national associations and senior FIFA officials, led to calls for him to resign and prompted a crisis meeting in Morocco at which FIFA’s leadership reaffirmed its support for the president.
FIFA did not identify those it said were seeking to undermine Infantino or specify which reports or allegations it was referring to.
The statement followed reports by The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino’s time as the European governing body’s general secretary, allegations he has denied and that FIFA has rejected as unfounded.
According to the British newspaper, the Italian-Swiss lawyer, who served as UEFA secretary-general from 2009 to 2016, also previously used his influence to secure a promotion for the same employee with whom he was in an intimate relationship.
The Daily Telegraph, which did not cite its sources, said this employee received a “six-figure sum” upon her departure – at an unspecified time – in addition to the payment of tuition fees for a business school amounting to around £45,000 (S$77,600).
When contacted by AFP, UEFA acknowledged that “a departure payment was made to the individual in question” at that time, “coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school”.
However, it insisted “the payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time”, before adding that “such regulations have been tightened since 2016”.
Infantino has categorically denied the allegations, according to the article which was published late on Aug 7.
In a statement on social media, 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.”
It said recent reporting had included “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” concerning FIFA and its president, adding that it would challenge inaccurate or misleading reports “directly and vigorously”.
FIFA added it would not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of its president that was inconsistent with its statutes, democratic procedures and governance framework.
“The FIFA president was democratically elected by FIFA’s member associations and continues to serve with their mandate,” it said.
FIFA support splits
Following a crisis meeting in Morocco on Aug 5, FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations for mistakes in the handling of the proposal and said its leadership had reaffirmed its full support for Infantino.
The fallout has cast a shadow over Infantino’s bid for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027. No clear candidate to challenge him has yet emerged.
European football’s governing body UEFA has said it no longer has confidence in Infantino, while Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness called for him to resign on Aug 7, saying he no longer had the institutional trust required to govern FIFA.
But Infantino continues to enjoy substantial support among FIFA’s 211 members.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously backed his leadership on Aug 6, while South America’s CONMEBOL rejected any attempt to oust him that did not involve a vote of all FIFA members.
Mexico’s football federation (FMF) also backed Infantino, despite its regional confederation CONCACAF having called for a “comprehensive reckoning” with his presidency. “The FMF will neither recognise nor approve any process convened outside that institutional framework,” the Mexican federation said.
The Asian Football Confederation said it “stood in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, although a few of its 47 members – like Indonesia, the Philippines and 2022 World Cup host Qatar – have come out in support of Infantino. REUTERS, AFP
