The president of world football counts the friends who have remained faithful in the storm and discovers that he is not alone. Country by country, the account of those who have not dumped the Swiss manager.
On the one hand, the harsh and pure opposition of UEFA, which threatens political boycotts and FIFA competitions. On the other hand, the African CAF which is Gianni Infantino’s most powerful allythanks to its 54 votes which are almost identical to the European one (55). In the middle, a multitude of positions with shades tending towards grey, distinctions and clarifications that give the idea of a FIFA president in great difficulty but not yet definitively cornered.
After withdrawing the plan of privatization of the World Cuphaving canceled the FFE (Fifa Forward Enterprise) project from Zurich’s agendas and having apologized for the form and substance of a very non-transparent proposal and dropped from above after the World Cup had just ended, with the aftermath of poisons still circulating due to the Balogun case and the almost vassal relationship with the White House, Infantino went on the counterattack.
Infantino’s moves to emerge from the crisis
Two moves. In the first he brought together the board of the world football confederation in Morocco to tighten the ranks of his magic circle, including those (not all) who had publicly attacked him during the hours of war around the World Cup sales dossier. A necessary operation to try to prevent his administration from losing pieces immediately, thus paving the way for the no-confidence request which represents UEFA’s immediate objective: a showdown before reaching the natural expiry of the mandate in March 2027.
FIFA’s number one managed to stop the avalanche of internal consensus and relaunched, threatening (legal?) action against critics and accusers. Legal action which is also the scenario taken into consideration by UEFA; FIFA, its officials and potential partners in the World Cup deal have been officially asked not to destroy any documents in order to be able to produce them in a possible trial.
The question, now, is entirely political. THEDoes nfantino have the numbers to resist the onslaught of Europe, which has Concacaf (North and Central America) as its main ally, from which the strong candidate could come in March in the person of its president Victor Montagliani? It is on this pitch that the Swiss manager of Italian origins is now playing his game.
The numbers don’t reward him. Not yet. But the party of Infantino’s allies is still less weak than one might have imagined. If the FFE project was rejected by a very large majority, some against only the form and some also against the substance, the calculation on trust in Infantino is different. Today and in view of the vote in March 2027. The current FIFA president is not alone but has friends who are publicly spending themselves to shield him. A series of endorsements, perhaps requested by the little boy himself, which provides a dynamic picture of the war for control of FIFA.
What are Infantino’s allied federations?
Who and how many allies are left? Certainly all Africa (CAF) who has never hidden his support for Infantino from whom he has received enormous benefits in these ten years of FIFA governance. There are 54 votes that are unlikely to be dispersed; Morocco, very powerful, and some other federations have come out into the open, giving strength to the statement of the African confederation, reaffirming loyalty.
There is also Infantino’s side the South American Conmebol (10 votes) with Argentina and Paraguay also expressing themselves directly. Also the consent package (11) of OFC representing the federations of Oceania there should be no doubt, as his council has not rejected out of hand even the proposal to privatize the World Cup.
Even so, however, Infantino would be in a strong minority. And here we enter the “grey” zone and the count of distinctions begins with respect to the officially compact positions of Asia and North and Central America. The Mexicoa nation that hosted the last World Cup with the United States and Canada, broke the North American front: “The federation will not recognize or approve any process initiated outside this institutional framework and will support the leadership of President Infantino in continuing to promote the development of football through the strengthening of institutions”.
In Asia, with different nuances, around ten federations have expressed their opinion not against Infantino: Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Indonesia, Philippines and Lebanon. Not yet enough to overturn the meaning of the political challenge. But between now and March the road is long and Infantino has undoubted powers of persuasion.
