Argentina and Mexico’s football associations have thrown their full support behind FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has faced mounting backlash over his now-abandoned proposal to sell off commercial rights to the World Cup through a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise.
In an open letter addressed to Infantino, Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia expressed support on behalf of the AFA and its Executive Committee for what he described as ten years of work centered on global football development and institutional strength built on a clear, stable and transparent model of governance.
The letter arrives amid calls for Infantino to step down, following FIFA’s apology on Wednesday over errors made during the rollout of the failed private investment plan.
Tapia praised FIFA for acknowledging those mistakes and for admitting the process should have been handled differently, writing that it was important to recognize the administration’s decision to withdraw a proposal that had generated far more uncertainty than confidence within the football community from the outset. He said the acknowledgment of errors and the apology sent to FIFA’s 211 member associations deserved to be highlighted.
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Mexico’s football federation, the FMF, also voiced its backing for Infantino, saying it joined his call to collectively continue developing football for the benefit of all 211 member associations, and expressed support for his leadership in continuing to promote the sport’s development through institutional strengthening.
Mexico’s support comes despite its own regional confederation, CONCACAF, having issued a sharp rebuke of Infantino last Saturday, accusing him of what it called a unilateral and egregious act of poor governance in connection with the investment plan and calling for a full review of his leadership.
Not everyone has rallied behind Infantino. Lise Klaveness, president of Norway’s football federation, told The Guardian on Friday that her federation’s board believes Infantino must resign, saying trust in him is now gone and that there’s no way back for him, describing a consistent pattern of growing concern that has worsened with each passing year.
Both UEFA, Europe’s governing football body, and CONCACAF released statements last Saturday criticizing FIFA’s leadership following Infantino’s decision to withdraw the plan. UEFA maintained that it has lost confidence in Infantino’s presidency, a position it said remains unchanged despite FIFA’s subsequent apology.
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South America’s football confederation, CONMEBOL, issued its own statement Thursday calling for continued dialogue while rejecting any attempt to remove Infantino that doesn’t involve a formal vote among all 211 FIFA member associations.
