Reports indicate that the English Football Association has officially pulled its backing of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. This decision follows the collapse of his controversial proposal to sell a 20 percent share of the World Cup to private equity investors through the FIFA Forward Enterprise.
While Infantino retained the support of senior FIFA directors during an emergency gathering in Morocco this past Wednesday, his position remains unstable. UEFA has intensified pressure on the leader, confirming it will proceed with a boycott of both men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments to signal their disapproval of his tactics. UEFA explicitly stated that FIFA’s internal support for the president has not altered their stance.
The global players’ union, FIFPRO, has also weighed in, accusing the FIFA president of an abuse of power. High-profile football figures, including Arsene Wenger and Luis Figo, have joined a wide range of critics in condemning the now-abandoned investment scheme. Although FIFA admitted during the Morocco meeting that the process was handled incorrectly and errors were made, the English FA has confirmed it will not support Infantino’s campaign for re-election next year.
