A FIFA spokesperson confirmed on Saturday that Gianni Infantino, FIFA president since 2016, is a candidate for re-election in 2027, despite the crisis triggered by his announcement of an abandoned project to open the door to private-sector investors.
اضافة اعلان
The spokesperson said: "The FIFA president had announced in April that he would run for re-election in 2027. And of course, nothing has changed. Mr. Infantino will run for re-election."
This confirmation, previously reported by several English media outlets, comes at a time when UEFA and other continental confederations, alongside a number of national federations, have leveled criticism at the management of the Swiss-Italian official, who quickly backtracked on his project.
The football world is witnessing sharp division over Infantino's management style, which his critics consider lacking in transparency, accusing him of drawing up a plan without consultation to deposit World Cup revenues into a commercial company open to private-sector investors.
The continental confederations UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation had sent a joint letter to the "football family" in early August expressing their rejection of the FIFA president's approach.
By contrast, Infantino received "unanimous" support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), as well as backing from part of the South American confederation CONMEBOL, along with other federations, former players, and political figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Infantino surprised football circles in early August by announcing his desire to establish an external company called "FIFA Forward Enterprise" to manage the commercial activities of the international federation and major tournaments such as the World Cup, opening the door to private-sector investors. But the project was quickly withdrawn amid widespread opposition from various stakeholders in football.
If re-elected, Infantino will continue leading world football until 2031.
Infantino is currently in Poland to attend the Women's U-20 World Cup, but declined to answer reporters' questions about his future when asked on Saturday.
The Only Candidate So Far
UEFA has accused Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" over his controversial project, and led the first countermove against the announcement, including threatening to boycott all FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups, if the plan were not abandoned.
Although UEFA withdrew its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments on August 27, it remains fully committed to its conviction that Infantino must leave his post.
It has filed requests in the United States to obtain disclosure of documents related to the plan from FIFA and its partners.
Should it succeed in accessing these documents, UEFA said it intends to file a legal complaint in Switzerland, affirming that it has received assurances the case meets the necessary conditions to be heard before a Swiss court.
UEFA has also received strong backing from CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation in its moves against Infantino.
The three continental confederations have continued applying pressure and coordinating, issuing a sharply worded joint letter last month.
The letter stated that "leadership in football is not ownership. It is not about holding onto power or demanding to keep it."
Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, is widely seen as Infantino's most prominent rival, while Slovenian Aleksander Čeferin, president of UEFA, has ruled himself out of the race.
Montagliani, a FIFA vice president, was long considered a close ally of Infantino, but signs had emerged, even before he distanced himself over the controversial project, suggesting he views FIFA's role differently from the Swiss-Italian official.
Earlier this month, FIFA accused its European counterpart of waging a "smear campaign" and a "fishing expedition" against Infantino.
As the only declared candidate so far for the election, scheduled to be held in Rabat, Infantino will need a simple majority of votes from FIFA's 211 member federations to extend his term, which began in 2016 and was renewed in 2023.
Candidacy applications for the upcoming election must be submitted by November 18.
