More than 200 federations back Infantino for a fourth term despite controversy
British newspaper The Guardian reported that Swiss Gianni Infantino has received official support from more than 200 national federations for his re-election as president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), despite the controversy surrounding the crisis over the red card given to American player Folarin Balogun.
The report stated that only a small number of FIFA’s 211 member federations have not yet sent letters of support to Infantino, who appears poised to win a fourth term with a large majority at the FIFA Congress scheduled for March next year.
Some European federations are among those that have not yet announced their support, with the German Football Association (DFB) leading the list of prominent holdouts.
Nominations must be submitted by November 18, and letters of support can be withdrawn or redirected to another candidate until that deadline. However, Infantino remains the only candidate so far, with some federations claiming they have faced continuous pressure from within FIFA to confirm their backing, despite such actions being prohibited under FIFA’s code of ethics.
Removing Infantino from the race would require what the newspaper described as a “political earthquake.” Although resentment persists following US President Donald Trump’s admission that he pressured FIFA to reconsider the red card issued to US striker Balogun during the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, most objections are concentrated within European federations and affiliated bodies.
Infantino does not need European support to secure a landslide victory, and the majority of European federations have already confirmed their backing for his re-election. The English Football Association (FA) was among the federations that sent its letter of support well before the start of the World Cup.
Over the past ten days, the idea of backing a European-supported candidate to challenge Infantino has gained momentum in closed-door meetings, but reaching a consensus among several federations on a single name still appears unlikely.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has opposed FIFA on several issues in recent months, including the Balogun case and the decision to exclude Somali referee Omar Al-Ali from the World Cup, but it remains unclear whether UEFA leadership will formally support a candidate in the election.
