FIFA president confirms he will run again while facing growing resistance over a controversial proposal to sell a stake linked to the World Cup.
Image: Nst
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that he will seek a fourth term in office, but his campaign is facing increasing opposition over a proposed plan to sell a stake linked to the FIFA World Cup.
As resistance grows among major football powers and regional confederations, smaller member nations are emerging as crucial kingmakers because of FIFA’s one-country, one-vote system, which gives the same voting weight to the smallest federations as it does to the largest football nations.
The investment proposal, reportedly worth billions of dollars, has drawn criticism from opponents who fear it could give outside investors influence over football’s most valuable tournament and change the way World Cup revenues are managed in the future.
Infantino has been actively working to secure backing from national associations across Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean, where smaller federations often rely heavily on FIFA development funding and infrastructure support.
The debate has also raised tensions with UEFA, where several officials have expressed concern about the commercialisation of the World Cup and the governance implications of bringing in external investors.
With the next FIFA Congress expected to become a key battleground, analysts say the outcome may depend less on the sport’s traditional powerhouses and more on whether smaller football nations continue to back Infantino despite mounting criticism of the World Cup stake proposal.
