Gianni Infantino is the highly controversial boss of the world football association – and will probably remain so. Because so far there is no opposing candidate for the election next year. The DFB, however, makes it clear how dissatisfied he is with Infantino – and turns away (a bit).
The German Football Association is avoiding a direct confrontation with the controversial FIFA President Gianni Infantino and will not nominate a candidate for the presidential election at the 73rd FIFA Congress in four months. The DFB Presidium decided unanimously with regard to the deadline ending in the evening. At the same time, however, the DFB sent a signal by refusing to support Infantino.
In a statement, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf expressed that he would have liked FIFA to “have made a clearer commitment to human rights and a greater commitment to humanitarian issues.” Neuendorf expects “transparent decision-making processes in FIFA” and sticks to his demands “for the establishment of a compensation fund for the relatives of the workers who died or were injured on the World Cup construction sites.” It is also said that the DFB supports the establishment of a migrant working center in Qatar.
Until the election in March, the DFB wants to “seek a constructive dialogue with FIFA on these points and work towards progress. It is thus taking on its socio-political responsibility,” according to a statement. The presidential election will take place in March 2023 at the congress in Kigali/Rwanda. All 211 member countries each have one vote.
If the 52-year-old is re-elected, it would be his final term. The statutes do not permit more than twelve years at the top. Since the continental associations from South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania have already signaled their support for Infantino, there are few question marks over his re-election. So far there is no other candidate for the successor to Joseph S. Blatter. Infantino had already been confirmed in office in 2019 without an opponent.
Infantino has long faced criticism due to an ever-growing body of scandal and controversy. Criminal proceedings against the FIFA boss, who now lives partly in Qatar, are still ongoing in Switzerland. According to Blatter (“Infantino is an impossible guy”) there will be “his reasons”: “Doha would rather not extradite him if the Swiss judiciary had something against him.”
None of this matters to Infantino’s supporters. This is primarily for financial and strategic reasons. The small countries depend on the grants from FIFA – which Infantino takes care of. And numerous large associations need those small countries if they want to keep their chances of winning the 2030 World Cup intact.
(This article was first published on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.)