Greek Football Association president Makis Gagatsis and former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff have endorsed UEFA’s call for a change in FIFA leadership, highlighting growing European resistance to president Gianni Infantino.
Key takeaways
- Gagatsis said the Greek FA no longer supports Infantino’s candidacy.
- Bierhoff argued that football must be protected despite its commercial growth.
- UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF have opposed FIFA’s proposed World Cup investment plan.
- Infantino is expected to seek another term in March, although no clear challenger has emerged.
- European officials have until mid-November to put forward an alternative candidate.
Greek FA withdraws support
“The Greek FA, EPO, has made its position clear: it is against Gianni Infantino standing for election,” Gagatsis told reporters.
He said events at the World Cup had fallen below what football supporters should accept. Gagatsis also criticised a subsequent proposal involving the sale of World Cup commercial rights, saying the Greek federation opposed the plan and had therefore withdrawn its backing for FIFA’s president.
Gagatsis was speaking after a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Thessaloniki, northern Greece. A five-a-side match featuring football “legends” was staged in the city centre as part of a UEFA initiative promoting grassroots football.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin attended the event but did not speak to journalists.
Infantino has faced increasing scrutiny since proposing that a commercial share of the World Cup be sold to private investors. The idea triggered strong resistance, with UEFA joined by the Asian Football Confederation and North America’s CONCACAF in seeking a change at the head of FIFA.
FIFA soon dropped the proposal and apologised to its member associations for the errors connected with it. However, after a crisis meeting in Morocco in August, the organisation’s leadership again expressed its support for Infantino.
UEFA has remained one of his most determined opponents. European officials have argued that a leadership change is required because confidence in Infantino has been lost. He intends to stand for re-election in March.
Bierhoff questions FIFA’s direction
“Football has to be protected,” Bierhoff said. The former Germany national team director held that position for 18 years, until 2022.
He acknowledged that the sport is already heavily commercialised, but said it remains an asset belonging to the whole football community.
Bierhoff added that different parts of the world may hold different views, yet developments during recent weeks and months had left him without confidence that FIFA was moving in the right direction.
Infantino has survived the opposition that followed his August apology to FIFA members over the abandoned investment proposal. Since then, however, he has refused to publicly address the consequences of the controversy.
His opponents are now being forced to reassess their approach. They must select a rival presidential candidate by the middle of November, but no leading contender has established a clear position so far.
Jesper Moller, the Danish football chief and a member of UEFA’s Executive Committee, said on Saturday that he would continue collaborating with his European counterparts to identify a candidate capable of winning majority support.
