Arab football federations back Gianni Infantino as FIFA president faces growing opposition

• Six Arab football federations have expressed their “full support” for Gianni Infantino as pressure mounts on the FIFA president.
• The backing comes after Infantino abandoned his $20 billion plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors following widespread opposition.
• FIFA vice president Patrice Motsepe said any attempt to remove Infantino should be decided through the presidential election scheduled for March.

Six Arab football federations have publicly backed Gianni Infantino as the FIFA president faces growing opposition following the collapse of his controversial World Cup investment plan.

The federations from Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan issued a joint statement on Thursday expressing their “full support” and “confidence” in Infantino’s leadership.

Four of the six federation presidents who signed the statement are members of the FIFA Council.

“We, the undersigned leaders of our respective football associations, express our full support for Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership and continued commitment to the development of football worldwide,” the statement read.

“We deeply appreciate Mr. Infantino’s sustained efforts to advance football globally, expand opportunities across all regions and strengthen the game’s role in bringing people and communities together.”

The federations said they wanted to continue working with Infantino to develop football and increase the contribution of Arab nations to the global game.

The statement comes as Infantino faces a political challenge over his decision to pursue a $20 billion plan to create a commercial company responsible for FIFA’s major competitions and sell a stake to private investors.

Infantino withdrew the proposal after opposition from several of football’s major confederations.

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation had rejected the plan, with the three bodies later accusing FIFA of a “fundamental breach of trust” and “deception” over how the proposal was developed.

UEFA had threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, before Infantino abandoned the plan.

The political fallout has continued despite the withdrawal.

The Football Association of Ireland announced Thursday that it had withdrawn its support for Infantino’s reelection as FIFA president, citing concerns over “governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.”

The football associations of England and Wales had already withdrawn their support, while Northern Ireland said it was aligned with UEFA’s position.

The backing from Qatar and Lebanon also places those federations at odds with the Asian Football Confederation, which has opposed the FIFA investment proposal.

The four FIFA Council members who signed Thursday’s statement were Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida, Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritanian Football Federation president Ahmed Yahya.

Lebanese Football Association president Hashem Haidar and Sudan Football Association president Moatasem Gafar were the other signatories.

Morocco’s support carries particular significance because the country is scheduled to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

Infantino has also received public support from several other member associations, including the United Arab Emirates.

FIFA vice president Patrice Motsepe said Thursday that any attempt to remove Infantino should follow the organisation’s electoral procedures.

“If anybody has got any problem against anybody, whether it’s Gianni, whether it is anybody else, follow the process, follow the FIFA process, simple as that,” Motsepe told Sky News.

“If you want to take him out, go for elections; let the 211 member associations decide. Do that and the vote will express whether they’ve got confidence in him or not.

“You’ve got to be very careful. There are elections taking place next year. Shouldn’t we allow that process to continue?”

Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016 and had appeared certain to secure another term before opposition to his World Cup investment plan intensified.

The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March in Morocco.

FIFA has set Nov. 18 as the deadline for potential challengers to formally enter the contest, meaning the coming months will determine whether Infantino faces the first serious electoral challenge of his presidency.