Infantino could pull off ‘Houdini’ act as critics struggle for candidate
The Fifa president lost the support of many associations in his re-election bid but crucially retained his core backing in Africa and South America.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino could continue as head of world football despite criticism, according to experts. The 56-year-old Swiss, who lost the backing of numerous associations for his plan to permit private investment in the World Cup, remains supported by core groups in Africa and South America. Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which would have established a commercial subsidiary to manage FIFA's major events, remains in the spotlight.
However, his main critics, Aleksander Ceferin and Victor Montagliani, have decided to run for re-election as heads of UEFA and CONCACAF, respectively. This leaves opposition groups scrambling for a suitable challenger to oppose Infantino in the upcoming March election. Despite the criticism, Terrence Burns, a marketing strategist for successful World Cup hosting bids, believes Infantino is always in the position of power.
Former IOC marketing chief Michael Payne stated that the absence of a serious challenger makes Infantino's re-election seem increasingly likely, describing the situation as redefining the term Houdini. While Lise Klaveness, a long-time critic of Infantino, has ruled out running, she would face significant challenges as the first woman to lead world football.
The opposition has filed legal challenges in the US and raised concerns about Infantino's connections to US President Donald Trump, but Burns suggests these challenges are unlikely to succeed. The main risk to Infantino comes from legal proceedings launched by UEFA in US courts to access information related to FFE.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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