FIFA hits back at calls to remove Infantino as president - Businessday NG

FIFA has strongly rejected growing calls for Gianni Infantino to step down as president, insisting he retains the democratic mandate of its 211 member associations amid mounting opposition in Europe.

Infantino has faced increasing pressure following the collapse of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which envisaged creating a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA’s major competitions, with a 21 percent stake potentially sold to private investors.

UEFA has said it has lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership, while Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness has gone further by calling for the Swiss-Italian to resign.

Read Also: FIFA: Norway’s football federation calls for Gianni Infantino’s immediate resignation

European football’s governing body has also maintained its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, arguing that FIFA has failed to provide sufficient guarantees that the abandoned FFE proposal cannot be revived.