Fifa criticises 'concerted and ongoing effort' to oust Gianni Infantino

Fifa has issued a stern warning against what it termed a "concerted and ongoing effort" aimed at undermining its president, Gianni Infantino. The organization released a statement on Saturday following media reports alleging personal transgressions during Infantino's tenure as general secretary of Uefa. However, Infantino has categorically denied these claims, and Fifa has dismissed them as unfounded.

This controversy has emerged amid a tumultuous period for Infantino's leadership, following his failed attempts to divest from the commercial rights of World Cup and other tournaments. Uefa and other entities have called for his resignation, sparking a crisis meeting in Morocco where Fifa's leadership reiterated their steadfast support for the president.

Fifa did not specify the entities allegedly intent on undermining Infantino or the reports and allegations they referred to. The statement emphasized that those lacking support from Fifa's Member Associations should not attempt to achieve their goals through allegations, insinuations, or misinformation when they cannot succeed via Fifa's democratic processes.

FIFA added that recent reporting contained "unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims" about the organization and its president, and vowed to challenge such inaccurate or misleading reports directly and vigorously. FIFA reaffirmed its stance against supporting, facilitating, or tolerating any election process for its president that contradicts its statutes, democratic procedures, and governance framework.

The FIFA president was democratically elected by its member associations and continues to serve under their mandate. Following the Morocco meeting, Fifa apologized to its 211 member associations for handling errors in the proposal and reiterated their full support for Infantino. The situation has cast a shadow over Infantino's prospects for another term at the upcoming Fifa Congress in March, as no clear challenger has emerged.

Uefa expressed no confidence in Infantino, while Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness called for his resignation, citing a loss of institutional trust. Despite the criticism, Infantino maintains significant backing from Fifa's 211 members, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously endorsing his leadership and South America's Conmebol opposing any attempt to remove him without a vote of all Fifa members.

Mexico's football federation (FMF) also supported Infantino, despite its regional confederation, Concacaf, advocating for a comprehensive assessment of his presidency.