The movement to remove Gianni Infantino as president of FIFA has hit a roadblock.
Sources tell Reuters that the embattled Swiss head of football’s governing body currently has enough support for re-election come next spring.
The situation will force Infantino’s opponents to switch tack.
“Three weeks ago, I thought he was dead,” a source told Reuters. “What I didn’t realize was the extent to which, after 10 years in power, the relationships he has built are almost unbreakable."
Infantino, 56, faced global backlash over his since-withdrawn plan to sell off 20 per-cent of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private equity. But despite the opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and elsewhere, the current belief is that Infantino still retains enough support from smaller nations. Each of the 211 votes up for grabs is worth exactly the same.
The other major issue is a lack of a viable contender to run against Infantino. The most popular name initially floated was Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who sources believe could potentially unseat Infantino, but the Qatari businessman has repeatedly ruled himself out. Vancouver’s Victor Montagliani, the head of CONCACAF, has also been tipped as a candidate, but Reuters notes that he wouldn’t be interested in running unless he was convinced he had requisite support.
“I think the direction of travel has changed,” the source continued. “It is even more of a risk for UEFA to go to a vote and not win.”
The deadline to declare candidacy is Nov. 18. The FIFA presidential vote is set for Mar. 18 in Rabat.
