FIFA President Gianni Infantino quelled a rebellion within the global soccer behemoth after an emergency meeting with top staffers, though threats to his position remain.Despite overseeing a successful 2026 World Cup, Infantino has been embroiled in crisis after a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity firms was leaked. Other top FIFA officials had grown increasingly brazen in their public criticisms of him, including Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom. The crisis appeared to calm down after the Wednesday meeting, with FIFA announcing that its top executives had “reaffirmed their full support” of him.“FIFA’s top management is fully confident that the outcomes of today’s meeting will strengthen FIFA’s governance, help restore confidence in the organization and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner,” FIFA announced.
The statement signals that Infantino may be safe from being ousted until the March 2027 FIFA presidential election, which may prove one of the tensest yet. Infantino had enjoyed the support of the vast majority of FIFA’s 211 member associations, but he has since witnessed an exodus over recent controversies, especially in Europe and North America, the Wall Street Journal reported.STATE DEPARTMENT DENIES CALL WITH UNDER-PRESSURE FIFA PRESIDENT INFANTINOThe crisis sprang from Infantino’s plan to create a subsidiary company to manage the commercial activities related to the World Cup, allowing private investors to have direct involvement in the tournament. The central involvement of Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, in the scheme has added to the controversy.To help quell dissent, Infantino has walked back the proposal, and FIFA has pledged to conduct a review of the process and be more transparent in the future.
