Gianni Infantino is maintaining a rigorous travel schedule as he seeks to secure a fourth term as Fifa president, despite the political fallout from a scrapped plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights. The 56-year-old official has been using a private jet provided by Qatar Airways to visit nations including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Kyrgyzstan, often timing his arrivals to coincide with the approval of funding for local development projects. His efforts continue even as the organization navigates a period of significant scrutiny.
Although dozens of the 200 member associations had previously submitted letters of endorsement for Infantino, many withdrew their support following the July emergence of his “Fifa Forward Enterprise” sale plan. Despite this, there is a prevailing view that the silent majority of associations remain firmly behind him. One source noted that as long as Gianni is running, no one else is expected to challenge him, as doing so would essentially be seen as running against the institution of Fifa itself, which currently provides the staffing, funding, and machinery for his campaign.
Fifa’s statutes previously limited presidents to three full terms, but a recent amendment allows for a fourth. This is because Infantino’s initial tenure, which began in 2016 after he replaced the disgraced Sepp Blatter, lasted only three years instead of the standard four. Infantino confirmed his intent to seek re-election after appearing at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland two weeks ago, with the announcement delivered through the organization’s media team.
Currently, Infantino faces no declared opponent, even though Uefa, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation have all voiced demands for his departure. Challenges are complicated by the fact that the most credible potential candidate, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, is committed to his own re-election campaign. Meanwhile, AFC president Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who lost to Infantino in 2016, is hindered by the opposing interests of his confederation’s major powers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Uefa is aggressively pursuing legal avenues to force Infantino out, having lodged a 56-page document in US courts across New York, Miami, and Colorado. The filing accuses the president of “criminal mismanagement” and seeks the disclosure of internal documents. Fifa has responded by attempting to block this discovery process, arguing in a New York filing that Uefa’s application is fundamentally flawed. Fifa’s legal team characterized the move as a smear campaign, claiming Uefa is seeking discovery for a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and which Uefa has no authority to initiate.
While experts believe at least one of the three jurisdictions may grant discovery, the legal process allows Fifa to appeal any decision. This makes it highly unlikely that any damaging materials will be made public before the 18 November deadline for presidential nominations. Sources indicate that the discovery timeline will likely extend well beyond the March election date, effectively rendering the legal challenge less immediate.
There remains a possibility that Fifa will still provide the $20 million promised to member associations via the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, though Uefa and Concacaf hope the president does not gain electoral credit for such a payout. The election process itself will be decided by a secret ballot, which complicates the reliability of promises made by associations during the campaign.
Some critics are looking back to the 2015 downfall of Sepp Blatter, who was forced to resign shortly after winning a fifth term amid an FBI corruption investigation. Despite the current electoral gloom, those seeking change remain persistent, with one source describing the situation as a fight to the death. While Uefa has made one concession by withdrawing its threat to boycott the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, Infantino has agreed to commission an external governance review in response to their pressure. Ultimately, should Infantino not step down before March, observers believe he will secure a clear majority of the votes cast by the member associations present. The report also notes that where he will lobby heads of state for their federations’ support as he continues his campaign to be re-elected next year, the Fifa president is widely expected to make an appearance at the United Nations general assembly this week in New York. The report also notes that his would-be opponents have been conspicuous by their silence. The report also notes that which neatly encapsulates the huge incumbency bias that will benefit Infantino if a vote takes place at the Fifa congress in March, whether Qatar Airways facilitating Infantino’s re-election campaign should be considered legitimate Fifa presidential business is a moot point. The report also notes that with multiple sources involved in the push to remove Infantino telling they are running out of hope of finding a candidate to beat him, that ballot appears to be in doubt. The report also notes that where funding projects were approved, may have splintered the vote at Concacaf – the North and Central American and Caribbean confederation – and there are increasing concerns that the European alliance may not be watertight, a meeting with the Caribbean Football Union. The report also notes that but Gianni will win a clear majority of whoever shows up.”, uefa and others could stage a boycott so the victory would be tainted. The report also notes that beyond the obvious difficulties of taking on an incumbent who controls the machinery of office and funding budgets – the last Fifa president beaten at the ballot box was Sir Stanley Rous in 1974 – there are specific reasons why none of the would-be candidates have declared.
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