The Football Association of Ireland remain silent on whether they support the re-election of Gianni Infantino as Fifa president.
As it stands, Infantino is set to stand unopposed for a fourth term as the head of world football’s governing body at an election in Rabat next March.
The FAI last week backed a Uefa-wide boycott of Fifa competitions in protest at Infantino’s plans to sell off a stake of up to 20 per cent in the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino subsequently dropped the plans, after which Uefa released a statement to say they have lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
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Finland were the first Uefa member to withdraw support for Infantino last week, while on Monday the FA of Wales cited “recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement” for their decision to withdraw support. England, Serbia, Sweden and the Netherlands have subsequently joined the list.
[ Gianni Infantino’s World Cup plan was a terrible business dealOpens in new window ]
The FAI, however, have not announced whether they support Infantino’s re-election, and did not reply when contacted by The Irish Times on Tuesday morning. Despite the fact he was set to run unopposed next year, Infantino is understood to have sought formal letters of support for his re-election from member association earlier this year. He received formal pledges of support from more than 200 of Fifa’s 211 members. The FAI also refused to confirm whether they wrote an initial letter in support of Infantino’s re-election.
Infantino, meanwhile, continues to fight for his survival as Fifa president. While he has lost backing across Europe and North America, he has received public backing from Morocco, Qatar, and several African nations. Infantino’s primary power base is in Africa and South America, meaning any fracturing of the European opposition to his presidency would greatly enhance his prospects of remaining in post.
Should European unity against Infantino hold, the Asian Confederation will be the swing state on which Infantino’s continued presidency will hinge. Senior football sources indicate the decision of the Saudi Arabian FA will likely be a bellwether for the Asian vote, given their strong influence on their wider confederation. Saudi Arabia were awarded hosting rights for the 2034 men’s World Cup by a process of acclimation in December 2024.
Infantino, meanwhile, continues to suffer unprecedented criticism from senior administrative figures at Fifa. In a staff memo made public by Sky News, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom called Infantino’s abandoned sell-off plans a “sad and reproachable series of events” which is “difficult to comprehend and accept”.
Source: The Irish Times
