The European Union's sports commissioner has criticized world football's governing body FIFA over its controversial and now-aborted plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Speaking to DW at his Brussels office, Commissioner Glenn Micallef labeled the plans "another episode in a series of poor governance decisions that excessively commercialize the sport," adding, "It's damaging to football."Glenn Micallef believes FIFA is damaging footballImage: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
However, Micallef stopped short of calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, amid growing pressure on him to step down. Asked whether FIFA was fit for purpose under Infantino, the commissioner insisted it wasn't for him to decide.
"That's a decision that belongs to national associations and federations," Micallef said. "I hope that they will have the chance to have an open process where they can discuss these things, where they can ensure accountability and responsibility for these issues."Infantino faces ethics complaint
Micallef's comments come as the human rights group FairSquare submitted an updated complaint against Infantino to FIFA's ethics committee, joined by more than 100,000 signatures as part of its "Reboot FIFA" campaign.
