FIFA Executive Dismissed After Criticizing Infantino’s World Cup Sell-Off Proposal | FIFA

FIFA Executive Dismissed After Criticizing Infantino’s World Cup Sell-Off Proposal | FIFA

Kevin Lamour, the chief operating officer of FIFA, has been dismissed after publicly opposing Gianni Infantino’s unsuccessful proposal to sell stakes in World Cup-related assets to private investors. The departure marks a major development within football’s troubled global governing organisation. Lamour leaves less than two years after arriving from UEFA. He strongly objected to Infantino’s […]

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Infantino’s Rivals Draft New Blueprint for Governing World Football | FIFA

Infantino’s Rivals Draft New Blueprint for Governing World Football | FIFA

Gianni Infantino’s critics are joining forces to develop a new model for governing global football, aiming to replace what they see as a patronage-based structure introduced after he succeeded Sepp Blatter as president a decade ago. Infantino has not responded to repeated demands from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation for an independent examination […]

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Football Australia Backs AFC Position but Refrains from Demanding Infantino’s Resignation

Football Australia Backs AFC Position but Refrains from Demanding Infantino’s Resignation

Football Australia has added its voice to mounting international pressure on Fifa president Gianni Infantino, demanding a “clear and credible response” to the turmoil affecting the global game. However, the organisation did not directly seek Infantino’s resignation. In a three-paragraph statement released on Tuesday, it supported the Asian Football Confederation shortly after that body issued […]

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Inside the Two Weeks That Shook FIFA: Gianni Infantino’s Unravelling, Day by Day

Inside the Two Weeks That Shook FIFA: Gianni Infantino’s Unravelling, Day by Day

Friday 7 August Support for Infantino begins to emerge, with Mexico and Argentina joining Africa’s football governing body in backing him. However, opposition also grows as Norway’s football association demands his resignation and files a new ethics complaint covering several issues, including alleged violations of Fifa’s rules on political neutrality. Infantino then travels to Colombia […]

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Infantino’s World Cup Fire Sale Fiasco Shakes Football, but FIFA’s Crisis Runs Deep | FIFA

Infantino’s World Cup Fire Sale Fiasco Shakes Football, but FIFA’s Crisis Runs Deep | FIFA

There are long periods when history appears motionless, followed by brief moments when years of change unfold at once and those in power suddenly become vulnerable. Less than two weeks ago, Gianni Infantino was celebrating on Instagram and condemning critics “behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumours” for questioning […]

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UEFA Says World Cup Boycott Remains in Place Despite Infantino’s Apology

UEFA Says World Cup Boycott Remains in Place Despite Infantino’s Apology

Uefa has reinforced its warning that it could withdraw from Fifa-organised competitions, while confirming that it no longer has confidence in Gianni Infantino’s leadership. European football’s governing body said Wednesday evening’s public show of support for Infantino “changes nothing”. It added that it has received no firm guarantees that a crisis like the one seen […]

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Wenger and Infantino’s Deputy Grafström Condemn ‘Sad and Reprehensible’ World Cup Proposal | FIFA

Gianni Infantino’s standing suffered another setback after Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafström, his second-in-command, described the abandoned private investment proposal for the World Cup as a “regrettable and deeply troubling sequence of events”. Further signs that senior figures within Fifa are distancing themselves from Infantino and the unsuccessful initiative emerged on Tuesday morning, when Arsène […]

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FIFA World Cup: UEFA Threatens Tournament Boycott Over Gianni Infantino's Investment Plans

FIFA World Cup: UEFA Threatens Tournament Boycott Over Gianni Infantino’s Investment Plans

Following Thursday’s virtual meeting, chaired by president Aleksander Ceferin, Uefa issued a statement saying that the organisation and all 55 of its member associations were united in their position. The statement said they firmly and unanimously opposed Fifa’s plan to hand ownership stakes in the World Cup and its other tournaments to private investors. A […]

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