Rabat: FIFA has strongly defended president Gianni Infantino against what it described as unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims, as pressure on the FIFA chief continues to grow in Europe.
A FIFA spokesperson said that Infantino strongly denies the allegations and described them as ‘categorically untrue’. FIFA subsequently issued its own statement, warning that speculation and insinuation should not be presented as facts.
Infantino is also facing increasing opposition from UEFA and several European football associations over his controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. The plan involved establishing a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights, with a 21 percent stake proposed for sale to a private investment firm.
UEFA has said it has lost confidence in Infantino, while Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness has called for him to resign. UEFA has also maintained that a boycott of FIFA events remains a possibility, saying it has not received sufficient assurances that the FFE proposal cannot be revived.
In its latest statement, FIFA stressed that Infantino was democratically elected by its member associations and continues to serve with their mandate. FIFA added that those without the support of its member associations should not attempt to achieve their objectives through allegations, insinuation or misinformation instead of established democratic processes.
Much of the opposition to Infantino has emerged from Europe. However, the Mexican Football Federation has publicly backed him, breaking with its regional governing body Concacaf. Mexico echoed a statement from South American governing body Conmebol, saying any attempt to remove Infantino should require a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations. Infantino also has the unanimous backing of the 54 member associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
FIFA says scrutiny must not distort facts
The latest statement comes after Infantino met members of the FIFA management board in Rabat, Morocco. Following the meeting, FIFA apologised for the FFE proposal while insisting that it would no longer tolerate what it described as attacks on the organisation’s integrity, good governance and due process.
FIFA again defended Infantino against mounting criticism and said legitimate scrutiny was welcome. “Scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress,” FIFA said.
The organisation added that it would challenge reporting it considers inaccurate or misleading directly and vigorously, as the dispute over Infantino’s leadership and the abandoned FFE proposal continues.
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