Doha: The heads of six Arab national football associations expressed support Thursday for FIFA President Gianni Infantino as he faces mounting pressure to resign over an abandoned plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to FIFA competitions.
According to Anadolu Agency, the joint statement backing Infantino was signed by the presidents of the football federations of Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, and Mauritania. Four of the signatories are also members of the FIFA Council. The statement expressed full support for Infantino, reaffirming confidence in his leadership and commitment to the development of football worldwide.
The declaration follows calls from European governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) for Infantino to resign. These three confederations, representing 136 of FIFA's 211 member associations, accused Infantino of a breach of trust over his attempt to attract private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
The controversial plan proposed transferring commercial rights to a separate company and selling a 20% stake to private investors to raise approximately $4.2 billion. It also included $20 million in development funding for each member association during the next FIFA Forward funding cycle, with the possibility of doubling the amount if the proposal was approved. However, FIFA later withdrew the plan following widespread opposition from confederations, national associations, and other football stakeholders.
The federation chiefs from the six Arab countries praised Infantino's efforts to expand opportunities across different regions and strengthen football's role in bringing communities together. They expressed their eagerness to continue cooperation with him towards a stronger and more prosperous future for world football.
Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, is expected to seek reelection in March next year. Despite the revolt by the three confederations, he retains significant support, particularly in Africa, where the Confederation of African Football's Executive Committee recently reaffirmed its backing for him.