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FIFA Condemns Efforts to Undermine President Gianni Infantino Amid Multiple Controversies

morning · · thread: FIFA Proposes Sale of World Cup Commercial Stakes, Sparking Fierce UEFA Backlash

17 sources across 14 countries

Who reported this

  • G1 Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Globo (Marinho family)
  • CNN Brasil Brazil · Centre · Rubens Menin (MRV)
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • La Tercera Chile · Centre-right · Copesa (Saieh family)
  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
  • The Times of Israel Israel · Centre · Seth Klarman (majority backer)
  • The Japan Times Japan · Centre · News2u Holdings
  • TheCable Nigeria · Centre · Cable Newspaper Ltd
  • Aftenposten Norway · Centre-right · Schibsted, Tinius Trust foundation
  • The Korea Herald South Korea · Centre-right · Herald Corporation (Yeongpoong Group)
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

FIFA issued a statement on Saturday condemning what it described as a concerted and ongoing effort to undermine the organization and its president, Gianni Infantino. The governing body asserted that the president was democratically elected and that those lacking the support of member associations should not use misinformation to achieve goals that cannot be reached through established democratic processes. FIFA stated it would vigorously challenge inaccurate or misleading reporting.

The statement follows a report by The Daily Telegraph alleging that Infantino, during his tenure as UEFA general secretary from 2009 to 2016, used his influence to promote an employee with whom he was allegedly having an extramarital affair. The report claimed the woman received a six figure severance payment and funding for an MBA course upon her departure. UEFA confirmed that a departure payment and MBA fees were paid, stating these were in line with regulations at the time. Infantino and FIFA have denied the allegations, calling them categorically untrue and defamatory.

Infantino is also facing a leadership crisis following his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. The project sought to create a subsidiary to manage commercial rights for the World Cup and other events, with a stake of up to 21 percent offered to private investors. Some reports specify the plan aimed to raise approximately 4.2 billion dollars. The proposal was widely criticized and eventually abandoned on August 1. UEFA has stated it no longer has confidence in Infantino and has maintained a threat to boycott FIFA competitions. Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, has called for his resignation.

Support for Infantino remains divided along regional lines. The Confederation of African Football has unanimously backed his leadership, and South America's CONMEBOL has rejected any attempt to remove him without a full member vote. The Mexican Football Federation has also expressed support, despite calls for a reckoning from its regional body, CONCACAF. The Nigeria Football Federation has dismissed rumors that it joined calls for his resignation.

Outlets with a center lean generally focused on the institutional standoff and the official statements from FIFA. Center left sources highlighted the specific details of the private investment plan and the proximity between Infantino and Donald Trump. Center right sources placed more emphasis on the personal nature of the allegations regarding the UEFA payments and the potential abuse of power.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
Emphasized the controversy of the private investment plan and Infantino's relationship with Donald Trump.
Centre
Focused on the institutional conflict and the official responses from FIFA and UEFA.
Centre-right
Highlighted the personal allegations of an affair and the specific financial details of the UEFA severance payment.

Sources

93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.