FIFA President Gianni Infantino Loses Support of Fourth Vice President Following Executive Departure

Sándor Csányi, a FIFA vice president and head of the Hungarian Football Federation, has withdrawn his support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In a letter obtained by Bloomberg, Csányi cited serious deficiencies in Infantino's professional judgment, ethical standards, and leadership. The decision follows the departure of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, which Csányi described as the final straw. Lamour had previously criticized Infantino's now withdrawn plan to sell 20 percent of the World Cup to investors.

Csányi is the fourth vice president to distance himself from Infantino. A week prior, vice presidents Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, Aleksander Ceferin, and Victor Montagliani issued a joint statement arguing that leadership in football is a serving duty rather than a possession. They claimed this duty is forfeited when an individual places themselves above the collective through deception.

Further criticism came from Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation. She characterized the situation as management through fear and asserted that Lamour was fired rather than resigning. Klaveness urged FIFA staff to ignore instructions that are not in the interest of football. In a farewell message to staff, Lamour thanked Secretary General Mattias Grafström but did not mention Infantino.

Despite losing the support of half of the vice presidents and facing criticism from UEFA and the KNVB, Infantino may remain in power. He is running for a new term in elections early next year and maintains support from smaller football associations and countries such as Qatar, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates, which have seen increased income under his leadership.