Now Reading: Six Arab federations back Infantino after $20bn World Cup plan fails
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Six Arab federations back Infantino after $20bn World Cup plan fails
Six Arab football federations, Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan, have publicly backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino after his controversial proposal to sell World Cup stakes to private investors collapsed. The…
The Story in Brief
Six Arab football federations, Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan, have publicly backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino after his controversial proposal to sell World Cup stakes to private investors collapsed. The plan faced fierce opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, with UEFA calling it a “fundamental breach of trust” and threatening legal action and a boycott. Infantino withdrew the $20 billion plan.
Four of the signatories are FIFA council members. The backing puts Qatar and Lebanon at odds with the Asian Football Confederation. Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and is expected to seek re-election unopposed in March 2025; the deadline for rival candidates is Nov. 18.
The Indian Opinion
The support from six Arab federations looks more like a bloc's show of solidarity than a grassroots groundswell. Four of the signatories sit on the FIFA Council, so they are hardly independent voices. The real test is the Nov. 18 deadline for challengers: will any major federation put forward a candidate, or is this choreographed unity enough to keep Infantino unopposed?
Source: timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
