Infantino's FIFA Presidency Challenged Amid Transparency Row
Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt questions Gianni Infantino's fitness for office as opposition mounts ahead of March elections.
Carla Rooney
FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces intense scrutiny over transparency and leadership.
UEFA has declared a loss of confidence in Infantino, citing the abandoned Football Equity Fund (FFE) plan. The organization now intends to find a candidate to challenge him in the March presidential elections.
The FFE plan, abandoned on August 1 after three continental confederations rejected it, aimed to create a company to manage commercial interests of FIFA competitions with private investment. This involved selling tournament stakes to private investors, with Thrive, a company founded by Josh Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law’s brother, slated as the lead investor.
UEFA has already submitted legal applications in the US, seeking disclosure of documents related to FFE. FIFA has challenged this move.
Opposition to Infantino's re-election extends beyond UEFA; Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also oppose his continued leadership. Hewitt stated, "The man has to answer those questions, and if he doesn’t answer those questions, no, he’s not fit to be FIFA president, and that was what was shared in the meeting."
The man has to answer those questions, and if he doesn’t answer those questions, no, he’s not fit to be FIFA president, and that was what was shared in the meeting.
The deadline for candidacies for the FIFA presidential elections is November 18. Ramon Vega has declared his intention to run for FIFA president.
Meanwhile, Aleksander Ceferin, Victor Montagliani, and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa have ruled themselves out as candidates.
The controversy also involves the handling of USA striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban. The ban was suspended following a call to Infantino from US President Donald Trump.
Trump admitted he contacted Infantino to request a re-examination of Balogun's red card, confirming he "asked for a review by FIFA." Infantino has consistently maintained that the FIFA disciplinary committee made the decision to suspend Balogun's ban independently.
asked for a review by FIFA.
The FIFA Council will meet in Zurich, where Infantino requested that council members submit their questions in writing. Amidst these challenges, FIFA will propose a $3.4bn increase in football development funding and host an online extra congress on November 23 to confirm hosts for the Women's World Cup in 2031 and 2035.
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