The Portugal legend Luís Figo has described Gianni Infantino’s ill-fated scheme to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors as “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed” and called on the Fifa president to resign. Infantino was forced to scrap his controversial proposal after a fierce backlash … Read more
Portuguese legend Luis Figo has slammed Gianni Infantino’s leadership of FIFA in a damning statement on the sport’s governing body. Figo is no stranger when it comes to speaking his mind about FIFA, having formally launched a campaign in 2015 for the FIFA presidency, on a platform advocating for increased transparency. He ultimately withdrew shortly … Read more
Montagliani is the president of Concacaf, which runs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Like Infantino, he was elected in 2016 promising governance reform. A former president of Canada Soccer, Montagliani was heavily involved in the build-up to, and delivery of, the 2026 World Cup – the first to be hosted by … Read more
The quickest route for Infantino’s exit would be for the Swiss to resign, like his predecessor Sepp Blatter did in 2015. But Infantino still retains support and he could try to hold out until March, when he is up for re-election for a fourth and final term as president. What other avenues are open? The … Read more
Infantino came to wider public attention, and attracted further criticism, during this summer’s World Cup, which was staged in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The tournament made headlines before a ball was kicked, with visas to the United States delayed – and even denied – for supporters, coaching staff and officials. In May, Iran’s base … Read more
Victor Montagliani (Concacaf president) Like Infantino, he was elected in 2016 promising governance reform. A former president of Canada Soccer, as co-chair, Montagliani was heavily involved in the build up to, and delivery of the 2026 World Cup, the first to be hosted by three nations. He is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish, as … Read more
Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president looks precarious after a PR nightmare of a week. The world governing body’s announcement of plans to bring private investors on board to help run FIFA competitions – including both World Cups – has been met with outrage, derision, and promises of boycotts from both UEFA and CONCACAF, with … Read more
No-one can be certain what happens now. And no-one knows what the future for Infantino is. Fifa is yet to respond to Uefa’s statement, which was followed up by another from Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and hosted this year’s World Cup, saying their 41 members rejected the proposals. Yet, in … Read more
The International Olympic Committee says it will not investigate Gianni Infantino as a complaint about the Fifa president is outside its scope. Human rights campaign group FairSquare complained to the IOC that Infantino had breached its charter by failing to adhere to rules on political neutrality “through statements or other clear expressions of support for … Read more
Donald Trump has reportedly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations. The current holder of the UN’s highest office is Antonio Guterres, who will depart the role in December. The latest reward for Infantino’s apparently bottomless appetite for Trump’s approval is his recommendation for the role. Infantino has … Read more