ZURICH:
Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president looks untenable following his failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights, the head of Europe’s professional football leagues said on Sunday.
Claudius Schaefer, whose organisation represents 53 professional men’s and women’s football leagues, said there could be “only one consequence” for Infantino after his plan triggered a storm of protest from regional associations.
“When I saw how this whole thing unfolded and that FIFA’s key bodies weren’t involved, then there’s essentially only one consequence in any company or association,” Schaefer told Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung.
Asked if this meant that Infantino was now unacceptable as FIFA president, Schaefer said: “This is usually the consequence when someone in a company pushes such a business deal forward without anyone knowing about it.”
Infantino said on Friday that FIFA had scrapped the plan after a widespread backlash.
Regional confederations UEFA and CONCACAF said on Saturday they had lost confidence in his leadership.
Schaefer, also chief executive of the Swiss Football League, said the proposal suggested that FIFA’s main goal was to maximise profits for third parties by having more and bigger competitions in future.
“It’s solely about the financial advantages; everything else is completely ignored,” he said.
The European Leagues opposed this because it would add more matches to an already packed international calendar to the detriment of national championships, Schaefer said.
“Nobody knew about the plans, not even the FIFA Council, the governing body of FIFA. I was very surprised that the president was acting completely alone in this matter.”
Football officials are now demanding greater oversight of decisions that could reshape the governance and commercial future of the sport.
UEFA, whose 55 members had unanimously rejected the proposal earlier this week, declared FIFA’s retreat a “victory for the whole game” while adding that the “task of rebuilding trust in FIFA” had only just begun.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said in a statement.
“UEFA thanks all the fans, leagues, clubs, players, individuals, associations and confederations that opposed the scheme, alongside the many Prime Ministers, Heads of State and commentators who have demonstrated to the FIFA President that football is not for sale,” it said in a statement.
