European League Competitions Association: Infantino's continuation as FIFA president seems unacceptable

The president of the European Leagues said on Sunday that Gianni Infantino’s continued tenure as president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) appears unlikely following the failure of his plan to sell stakes in commercial rights for the World Cup.

Claudio Schraner, whose organization represents 53 men’s and women’s domestic leagues, said there is “only one outcome” that Infantino can face after his plan sparked a wave of protests from continental confederations.

Schraner told the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung, “When I saw how the entire issue unfolded, and that the key bodies within FIFA were not involved in this decision, there is usually only one outcome in any company or federation.”

In response to a question about whether this means Infantino is now unacceptable as FIFA president, Schraner added, “That is typically the result when someone in a company pushes through a commercial deal like this without informing anyone.”

Schraner, who also serves as chief executive of the Swiss Super League, said the proposal indicated that FIFA’s primary objective was to maximize profits for third parties by organizing more large-scale competitions in the future.

He stressed that the European Leagues opposed the proposal because it would have added more matches to an already congested international calendar, thereby harming domestic leagues.

“No one was aware of these plans, not even the FIFA Council, which is the governing body of the international federation. I was very surprised that the president was acting entirely alone on this matter.” (Prepared by Mahmoud Kamel for the Arabic edition – Edited by Ahmad Al-Ghanim)