Dramatic report: Will the FIFA president be forced to resign?
After the collapse of the controversial plan to sell part of the World Cup rights, Europe is formulating an unprecedented move to remove support for Gianni Infantino. According to the 'Guardian', dozens of associations may withdraw their letters of support - a step that would significantly increase the pressure on the FIFA president to end his tenure.
The crisis surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to escalate. After being forced to retreat from his plan to bring private investors into the ownership of the World Cup, it is now reported in the 'Guardian' that many countries in Europe are considering taking an unprecedented step: withdrawing the letters of support they granted for his candidacy for another term as FIFA president - a move that could constitute a vote of no confidence and significantly increase the pressure on him to resign.
According to the report, until the outbreak of the latest crisis, Infantino's re-election this coming March was considered a done deal. 52 out of the 55 associations that are members of UEFA - with the exception of Germany, Romania, and Norway - had already sent official letters of support for his candidacy for a fourth term. However, now, following the collapse of the plan to sell part of the commercial rights of the World Cup to a private company for 20 billion dollars, a move is forming in Europe to cancel those commitments. According to the 'Guardian', the European associations are discussing the possibility of carrying out a coordinated withdrawal of the letters of support, although a scenario is also being considered where each country will announce separately the removal of its support. In any case, any association that chooses to do so will have to notify FIFA officially. Sources in European football estimate that such a move would effectively constitute a vote of no confidence in Infantino and would intensify calls to end his tenure.
At the same time, in Europe, they are also working to locate an alternative candidate who could run against Infantino in the upcoming elections. However, to succeed, he would need to recruit significant support also outside the continent, mainly from the Asian associations (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). On the other hand, Infantino still enjoys the declared support of the associations of Africa and South America, and in recent days even received public backing from Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Kuwait. According to the report, Infantino does not intend to give up his position and is currently holding personal talks with associations around the world with the goal of maintaining the support for him. However, in Europe, they believe that the patience of many of the associations has run out, after many of them had previously given him their support despite internal reservations about his conduct.
UEFA threatens to sue
UEFA is intensifying the struggle against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and is now also threatening legal proceedings following the controversial plan to sell part of the commercial rights of the World Cup to private investors. According to a report in 'The Athletic', the European association sent official letters to FIFA and to businessman Joshua Kushner, in which it is considering taking legal steps, arbitration proceedings, and even approaching regulatory authorities.
According to the report, UEFA demanded that FIFA and Infantino immediately preserve all documents and correspondence related to the project - starting from the planning stage and valuation to investment agreements, legal opinions, presentations to investors, board documents, financial models, and any relevant electronic material. In addition, Joshua Kushner and his investment fund were also required to preserve every document concerning the deal.
