Fifa criticises campaign to oust president Infantino
Fifa claims there is a concerted effort by some to undermine the organisation and its president amid heavy pressure from European associations.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Fifa has released a statement condemning efforts to oust president Gianni Infantino
- Uefa and European associations have lost confidence and called for his resignation
- Mexican and South American federations have broken ranks to support Infantino
Global football governing body Fifa has stated that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by certain parties to undermine the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino, as he faces intense scrutiny from European football bodies.
This latest turmoil follows a Daily Telegraph report alleging that Infantino's former partner received a severance payment from Uefa after an affair during his tenure as Uefa general secretary. Infantino has also faced mounting pressure from Uefa and European associations over his aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The FFE initiative would have established a new commercial entity to handle ticketing and commercial rights, with 21 percent sold off to a private investment firm. In response, Uefa declared that it has completely lost confidence in the Fifa leader.
This ongoing feud between Fifa and European football administrators highlights deep-seated tensions over commercialisation and financial governance in global sports, where high-stakes commercial proposals frequently trigger fierce political battles.
The pressure escalated when Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness publicly called on the Swiss-Italian administrator to resign. European football authorities also confirmed that their threat to boycott Fifa events remains active as specific conditions remain unmet.
"It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president."
Fifa
Despite strong opposition originating primarily from within Europe, support for Infantino is materialising from other international regions.
The Mexican Football Federation broke away from Concacaf to publicly back Infantino. This move mirrors a statement from Conmebol, South America's governing body, declaring it would reject any removal attempts that do not involve a vote across all 211 Fifa member nations. Furthermore, Infantino retains unanimous backing from all 54 member nations within the Confederation of African Football.
Source: BBC Sport
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