It is finally clearer who stands behind the president of the International Football Federation, FIFA, Gianni Infantino , and who is turning his back on him. A list of countries that have so far publicly taken one side or the other has been published.
Infantino is under increasing pressure following the collapse of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise project, but the FIFA president also receives strong support from parts of world football.
One of his most important allies is Africa. The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously backed Infantino, making it clear whose side the African bloc, which has 54 national associations in FIFA, is on.
Infantino has also received support from Argentina . The Argentine Football Association (AFA) praised his work during his 10 years at the helm of FIFA, highlighting in particular the institutional stability of the organization and the development of football worldwide. The Argentines also welcomed his decision to abandon the FIFA Forward Enterprise project.
According to information released so far, Mexico and Paraguay have also joined forces with Infantino, as have a number of African and Asian federations.
At the same time, completely different messages are coming from Europe. Among the countries that have publicly spoken out against Infantino are Croatia, Serbia, Germany, England, Norway, Wales, Sweden, Greece, Albania, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Romania.
Who is currently with Infantino?
According to information published so far, the following countries support Infantino:
Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Egypt, Sri Lanka, DR Congo, Djibouti, Lebanon, Indonesia, Philippines, Kuwait, Gambia, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Who is currently against it?
On the other side are:
Germany, Norway, Wales, Serbia, Sweden, Greece, Albania, England, Jordan, Netherlands, Finland, Croatia, Denmark and Romania.
Before the World Cup, Infantino had a nearly unchallenged position and was expected to remain at the helm of FIFA. However, after recent events, the situation has changed significantly.
The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March next year, and as the election process approaches, the question of how many federations will stand behind the current president is becoming increasingly important.
