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FIFA rejects efforts to remove Gianni Infantino, stressing 211 federations
FIFA said on Sunday that it would not support efforts to remove President Gianni Infantino and stated that decisions must be made through the democratic processes of its 211 member federations. The statement came after Infantino's proposal to sell a 20% share of the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup and other tournaments was shelved.
FIFA opposed efforts to remove President Gianni Infantino, stating that the procedures for electing a new president must comply with the organization's statutes and democratic procedures.
FIFA said Infantino, who was elected through the democratic votes of the member federations, was continuing to serve with the mandate given by those federations. The organization said that people who lacked the support of the member federations should not try to achieve through allegations, insinuations or misleading information results they could not obtain through established democratic processes.
FIFA responds forcefully to allegations
FIFA said that some reports recently published about the organization and its president contained unfounded and clearly false allegations. The organization said it would respond directly and forcefully to reports it considered inaccurate or misleading.
FIFA did not name the people or organizations it said were trying to undermine Infantino's position. It also did not identify the reports containing the allegations.
FIFA rejects payment allegation
The statement followed a report published by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. The report alleged that Infantino used his influence while serving as UEFA secretary-general from 2009 to 2016 to secure a payment from UEFA to a former employee with whom he had had a romantic relationship.
FIFA said the allegation was untrue and unfounded.
Commercial rights proposal sparked controversy
Pressure on Infantino's future as FIFA president reportedly increased after his proposal to sell a share of the commercial rights to the World Cup and other tournaments was withdrawn.
Following a crisis meeting held in Morocco on August 5, FIFA apologized to its 211 member federations for mistakes made in connection with a proposal to sell stakes in the tournaments to investors. The organization later abandoned the proposal.
The plan envisaged raising approximately $4.2 billion to develop football by selling private-sector investors stakes of up to 20% in FIFA events, including the World Cup.
The proposal sparked widespread debate because a company with family ties to U.S. President Donald Trump became involved in the process. UEFA and some other parties accused FIFA of mismanagement and failing to conduct adequate consultations.
Federations take different positions
UEFA said it no longer trusted Infantino. Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, also called on Infantino to resign on Friday.
The Confederation of African Football supported Infantino on Thursday. The South American Football Confederation also said it would not accept any attempt to remove Infantino without the votes of all FIFA member federations.
These developments have raised questions about whether Infantino will seek a fourth term at the FIFA congress planned to take place in Morocco next March. No prominent candidate has so far announced a challenge to Infantino.
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