07.08.2026, 17:04 Uhr
The former chairman of FIFA's ethics committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert, expects continued fierce resistance from FIFA president Gianni Infantion amid his leadership's crisis.
"That's a threat. Attack is the best form of defence, it's always been that way. He's making it clear that attacks originating from within FIFA or directed at FIFA from outside will be punished. He wants to downplay the issue, he doesn't want FIFA to be seen in a bad light," Eckert told dpa on Friday.
Infantino has been under fire since he unveiled plans worth billions to sell World Cup rights to private investors last week. Following major protests, including UEFA's threat of a World Cup boycott, the FIFA boss withdrew the proposal.
Other FAs and confederations also rejected the plans and Jordan FA president, Princi Ali Bin Al Hussein, said on Tuesday that they had been blackmailed when being told by FIFA they would only receive money owed to them if he voted for Intantino at next year's election.
Despite the immense pressure, Infantino has no intention of stepping down.
This behavior is "typical of all these people who also hold high-ranking positions in companies. He's no different from the rest, he's fighting to keep his job. He makes a ton of money from his job, and he wants to keep it," Eckert explained.
"So it's completely normal for him to backtrack and say, 'Let's just apologize.' I doubt the FIFA community will buy that, though."
Eckert headed the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA ethics Committee from 2012 to 2017. His tenure included handing long-term suspensions of then-FIFA president Joseph Blatter and then-UEFA president Michel Platini.
Source: Dpa-international.com
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