At FIFA presidential election
DFB refuses to support Infantino
03/15/2023 1:17 p.m
Well then: After a long-held decision, the DFB announced on the day before the FIFA presidential election that the association would not support incumbent Gianni Infantino. However, this has no effect on the re-election of the Swiss.
The German Football Association resolutely refuses to follow, Bernd Neuendorf stands up to the almighty Gianni Infantino: The DFB boss will actually vote against the almost untouchable FIFA President at the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali. The conditions set for the world association were not fulfilled before the re-election, as a significant symbolic act the association with the largest number of members refused to support Infantino – which will not prevent his triumphant march.
With no opponent and inspired by his recent World Cup coup, the next big Infantino show is already inevitable. The hearts of smaller nations in particular fly to the 52-year-old incumbent, who is likely to be re-elected until 2027 with an overwhelming majority. Since, according to the statutes, an individual candidate can be elected by acclamation with applause, the exact strength of the opposing front is likely to remain a secret anyway. The image of a football community united in FIFA should go around the world.
“A dictator of the most unpleasant kind”
Even the clear German statement will hardly be able to prevent this. “The DFB will not support the re-election of FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Kigali,” said Neuendorf: “In the past few weeks we have received little or no information from FIFA on various issues. FIFA must deal with the national associations become much more open and transparent.”
In the future, the world association should “explain in its own interest how and why certain decisions are made and who was involved in them. That has not always been the case recently,” Neuendorf continued. Infantino was “a dictator of the most unpleasant kind,” anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth complained in a ZDF documentary, for example. Other nations also see him critically, Norway, Denmark and Sweden also want to vote against the powerful FIFA boss.
Constructive exchange with FIFA leadership
Infantino missed “implementing all-encompassing values in football,” Norwegian association boss Lise Klaveness told the world. She is also critical of his proximity to certain heads of state, such as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday there was “a constructive exchange between several European associations and the FIFA leadership on controversial issues. Together we hope that future cooperation will improve,” emphasized Neuendorf.
In any case, the opposing front should only consist of a small minority. Each of the 211 national associations has a vote, no matter how big or small – and on other continents they just love Infantino. And not just since the inflating of the mega World Cup 2026 decided on Tuesday, they were already benefiting from the flourishing finances of FIFA. The 211 national associations get their (small) share of the ever-growing pie thanks to record revenues – for the poorer ones this is very important.
As long as the finances are booming, Infantino needn’t worry. As part of the World Cup, he announced almost casually that he was only going into his second term. At the beginning of 2016, in the middle of the current period, he finally took over the office of Joseph S. Blatter, who had resigned – according to the statutes, this does not count. So he can stand again after the new period and rule until 2031. The show of the almighty Infantino will probably last a long time – the DFB has to deal with that too.