ZURICH: FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing growing opposition from football officials and national federations after the departure of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, with a FIFA vice-president describing the dismissal as the “final straw” and withdrawing his support for Infantino’s re-election.
Hungarian FIFA vice-president and FIFA Council member Sandor Csanyi said Lamour’s departure raised serious concerns over FIFA’s leadership, transparency and governance. In a letter to Infantino seen by Reuters, Csanyi said Lamour had made a significant contribution to the organisation and questioned the circumstances surrounding his dismissal.
Lamour left FIFA weeks after publicly criticising Infantino’s proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments. Lamour had described the proposal as a project driven by one individual and said staff had been “deceived” over the initiative.
Why are FIFA officials withdrawing support for Infantino?
The dispute over the commercial-rights proposal has become a major source of opposition to Infantino, who is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president in an election scheduled for March.
Csanyi said the circumstances surrounding Lamour’s departure demonstrated what he described as shortcomings in professional judgement, ethical standards and leadership. FIFA has not publicly responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
Montenegro’s FIFA Council member and football association president Dejan Savicevic has also withdrawn his previous support for Infantino’s candidacy. He cited concerns over communication, transparency and governance within FIFA and called for a review of the leadership’s actions.
Wales became the first national football association to formally withdraw its support for Infantino earlier this month. Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney subsequently called for Infantino to resign, criticising the proposal to sell commercial rights to private investors.
Israel’s football association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election, according to The Guardian.
Which FIFA leaders still support Infantino?
Infantino continues to retain backing from influential parts of the football establishment despite the growing opposition.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa and Concacaf President Vittorio Montagliani have all criticised aspects of Infantino’s conduct.
However, the Confederation of African Football and South American football confederation CONMEBOL remain supportive of his presidency.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe, who is also a FIFA vice-president, has argued that any decision concerning Infantino’s future should be made democratically by FIFA’s 211 member associations through next year’s presidential election.
The growing split comes months before the FIFA presidential election and leaves Infantino facing increased scrutiny over his leadership, governance practices and plans for the organisation’s commercial future.