Now Reading: Malawi FA backs Infantino as FIFA president faces pressure
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Malawi FA backs Infantino as FIFA president faces pressure
Malawi Football Association president Fleetwood Haiya has publicly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino, citing increased investment in African football as the reason for Malawi's historic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup.…
The Story in Brief
Malawi Football Association president Fleetwood Haiya has publicly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino, citing increased investment in African football as the reason for Malawi's historic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup. Haiya told Reuters he remains 'not shaken' in his loyalty to Infantino, who faces growing pressure ahead of next March's FIFA presidential election.
Haiya supported the scrapping of Infantino's plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights for $4.2 billion, but said any replacement must help poorer associations. He challenged potential rivals to 'come out into the open' and present their own plans. Infantino has also received backing from Argentina and other nations.
The Indian Opinion
Infantino's defenders call it 'football development'; critics call it 'vote-buying.' But Fleetwood Haiya's logic is hard to dismiss for smaller nations, he can name the cash and the results, including Malawi's first Women's World Cup qualification. The real test will come in March 2027: whether any challenger can offer poorer associations a concrete alternative, or if Infantino's $40-million-per-member pitch is an offer no struggling federation can refuse.
Source: indiatoday.in
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