Gianni Infantino may have thought he was in the clear, but UEFA refuse to relieve the pressure on the beleaguered FIFA president.
The Swiss sportocrat was in full crisis mode on Wednesday when he convened a meeting of the federation’s management board in Rabat, Morocco. He was under severe pressure after his secret plan sell off part of the World Cup to private investors was rumbled by The Times.
The proposal, dubbed the ‘FIFA Forward Enterprise’ (FFE), was largely panned by the wider football world, with three confederations rejecting it from the off. UEFA went as far as threatening to boycott FIFA competitions and declared they had lost confidence in Infantino.
Even executives within FIFA publicly criticised the scheme, with Carlos Cordeiro resigning in protest while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said staff had been deceived by Infantino’s lack of transparency during the whole process.
Infantino was forced into withdrawing the plan for the FFE because it unintentionally “created divisions”, though it has since been reported that the private investors who were primed to buy a slice of football’s biggest competition had in fact backed out due to the reaction it received.
Despite mounting calls for Infantino to resign from his position, the management board gave the president their “full support” following Wednesday’s meeting, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who had just days previously described the FFE as “a sad and reproachable series of events”.
FIFA admitted in a statement that “mistakes” were made and promised to move forward in a “united and transparent manner”. But it also vowed to “no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation.”
One might argue that FIFA did not apologise for trying to privatise the World Cup, but for getting caught. UEFA, for their part, do not consider the matter closed.
UEFA refuse to take boot off Gianni Infantino’s neck
Indeed, the European governing body have doubled down on their criticisms of FIFA and its president, insisting that their boycott remains in place as they continue to pile the pressure on Infantino.
“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions,” a UEFA statement read.
“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn, and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.
“These conditions have not been met. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds.
“Yesterday’s (Wednesday) announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing.”
The FA, meanwhile, are also maintaining their stance that Infantino is no longer the right man to lead the sport any longer, according to The Independent. The report claims that the anger felt by Infantino’s opponents has only “intensified” in the wake of FIFA’s ‘apology’.
The football associations of Finland, Serbia, Sweden, and Wales have publicly withdrawn their backing of Infantino. But will it be enough to push him out of power?
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