English Premier League
Gianni Infantino gains Asian backing as European pressure over FIFA leadership grows
Gianni Infantino’s prospects of remaining FIFA president have received a boost after four Asian football associations publicly backed him, following the withdrawal of a plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon have declared their support for Infantino, according to the British newspaper Daily Mail. Their positions strengthen the FIFA president’s position as UEFA and CONCACAF continue to push for a challenge to his leadership.
The newspaper reported on Sunday that UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation forced Infantino to abandon a proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup for £3.1bn. UEFA and CONCACAF subsequently called for him to resign.
The dispute has placed FIFA’s governance at the centre of a growing confrontation between Infantino and a group of regional football bodies. UEFA and CONCACAF have called for a comprehensive review of FIFA’s leadership, arguing that the proposed World Cup sale “revealed a governance crisis within world football’s governing body”.
Together, UEFA and CONCACAF represent 96 of FIFA’s 211 member associations. That number would be sufficient to begin procedures for a vote of no confidence, but it would not be enough on its own to remove Infantino from office.
Infantino continues to enjoy broad support in Africa, while South American associations are expected to align themselves with him. The position taken by the Asian confederation’s members is therefore likely to prove decisive if formal action is launched against the FIFA president.
Football associations from the Middle East and North Africa have also issued statements in support of Infantino. Egypt, Qatar and Morocco were among those to publicly back him.
The latest declarations suggest that the campaign against Infantino has not yet secured the numbers required to force him out. While the combined strength of UEFA and CONCACAF could trigger a process aimed at testing confidence in his leadership, the support reported from Africa, parts of Asia and the expected backing in South America would leave his position protected unless a wider coalition could be formed.
The proposed World Cup investment deal became the immediate trigger for the dispute. Its cancellation followed pressure from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, while the subsequent calls for Infantino’s resignation have transformed the disagreement over the plan into a broader challenge to FIFA’s leadership.
With the European and North American confederations opposing him and Asian support emerging on his side, Infantino faces a contest in which the alignment of FIFA’s regional members will be central. For now, the public backing from Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon has strengthened his position, even as UEFA and CONCACAF seek to open procedures that could lead to a vote of no confidence.