Six Arab national football federations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup co-hosts Morocco, backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday, as the governing body faces growing opposition over his abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights.
Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, has faced mounting criticism after UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF called for an independent review of his conduct over the proposed private investment plan.
Infantino had proposed selling 20% of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors for about $4.2 billion before abandoning the plan following widespread opposition.
“Recognising the important role of Arab football in bringing people together and strengthening cooperation among football associations across the Arab world, we … express our full support for Mr Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership,” the six federation chiefs said in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by the heads of the football federations of Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan and Mauritania.
Four of the six signatories — Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida, Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya — are also members of the FIFA Council.
The federations praised Infantino’s efforts to expand football opportunities worldwide and said they looked forward to continuing to work with him to strengthen the sport.
The support came despite the AFC expressing disappointment over Infantino’s proposed investment plan, which had also prompted a strong response from UEFA.
IRELAND WITHDRAWS SUPPORT
Ireland on Thursday became the latest national association to withdraw its support for Infantino, citing concerns over governance, transparency and consultation.
“Following an FAI Board Meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the association supplied earlier this year,” the Football Association of Ireland said in a statement.
“The association is grateful for the support that FIFA provides to Irish football, but recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.”
The abandoned proposal included a $20 million grant for FIFA member associations for the next funding cycle, with the amount potentially doubling if associations backed the deal.
Following a crisis meeting in Morocco last week, FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations over its handling of the proposal and said Infantino retained the organisation’s full support.
Despite opposition from UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF, which collectively represent 136 FIFA member associations, Infantino retains significant backing across the football world.
CAF has also publicly supported the FIFA president, while the latest statements from Arab federations highlight the difficulty of the confederations in securing a unified voting bloc.
Each FIFA member association has one vote in the presidential election.
Infantino would need a simple majority of 106 votes if he faces only one rival. If three or more candidates contest the election, he would need a two-thirds majority, or 141 votes, in the first round.
