UEFA pressure on Infantino grows as Greek FA, Bierhoff back change

Greek Football Association president Makis Gagatsis and former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff have come out in support of UEFA's push for change within FIFA's leadership, highlighting a united European front against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Gagatsis stated that the Greek FA (EPO) has taken a clear position against Infantino's candidacy, citing the events at the World Cup and the plan to sell World Cup rights as reasons for withdrawing their support.

This comes after a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee in Thessaloniki, Greece, where a "legends" five-a-side game was held to promote UEFA's grassroots programme. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was present but did not speak to the media. Infantino has faced mounting pressure since proposing to sell a commercial stake of the World Cup to private investors, which sparked fierce opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF.

FIFA quickly abandoned the proposal and apologized to member associations, but later reaffirmed its support for Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco. Bierhoff emphasized the need for a change in leadership due to the loss of trust in Infantino, who plans to run for re-election in March. Despite the opposition, Infantino has continued to face criticism, but so far there is no clear frontrunner among potential candidates to challenge him.