… Former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Portugal winger Luis Figo, who ran for the Fifa presidency against Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter in 2015 before withdrawing, called on him to immediately resign. …
… If European football stands united against these plans, that carries a great deal of weight.” Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter said: “The close relationship between the Fifa president and the US president has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. …
… If European football stands united against these plans, that carries a great deal of weight.” Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter weighed in, writing on X: “The close relationship between the Fifa president and the US President [Donald Trump] has reached a financial dimension th …
… And I wonder whether they were better off just saying, ‘Actually, we’re going to leave him out anyway’.” Infantino was also condemned by his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who was impeached in 2015 after receiving an eight-year ban from football, and UEFA, which governs the sport in E …
… Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter has criticised the body he led for 17 years over the visa issues, posting on social media: “A Fifa World Cup host country must guarantee two fundamental principles: the safety of the country – and the unrestricted entry of all qualified teams, o …
… However, the first three and a half years of Infantino’s leadership do not count because he took over following Sepp Blatter’s resignation in 2016. …
FIFA announced that Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has left the organisation weeks after publicly criticising Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in World Cup and tournament commercial rights. Lamour said FIFA staff had been "deceived" over the proposal and described it as "the project of one person," while a senior adviser to Infantino also resigned in protest before Infantino withdrew the plan.
FIFA announced that Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has left the organisation weeks after publicly criticising Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in World Cup and tournament commercial rights. Lamour said FIFA staff had been "deceived" over the proposal and described it as "the project of one person," while a senior adviser to Infantino also resigned in protest before Infantino withdrew the plan.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologised for "errors" in controversial proposals to sell stakes in competitions to private investors, but retained his position after receiving backing from FIFA's management board at a meeting in Morocco. UEFA and others had criticised the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal as opaque, but Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a letter to FIFA members sincerely apologising and committing that such errors "will not happen again."
Gianni Infantino, Fifa's president, has called an executive meeting in Morocco after facing widespread criticism of his plan to sell off the organisation's commercial and event operations. Senior Fifa officials including Arsene Wenger, Mattias Grafstrom, and Prince Ali have publicly opposed the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to 211 member associations offering $40m if they back his plan to sell stakes in major competitions, including the World Cup, with a 19 September deadline for access to an initial $20m. UEFA accused FIFA of using football to enrich themselves and their friends.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to all 211 member associations offering $40m in exchange for backing his plan to sell stakes in major competitions like the World Cup through a new commercial subsidiary. The plan, which could raise $10bn and has drawn quick condemnation from multiple regions, sets a 19 September deadline for nations to accept and receive an initial $20m.
Jurgen Klopp and other figures have called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign after the USA's Folarin Balogun, who was sent off in an earlier match, had his ban suspended by a FIFA disciplinary committee following reported intervention from Donald Trump. Klopp criticized the decision as political interference in football governance.
A record 170 officials—52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video assistant referees from 50 FIFA member nations—have been chosen for this year's World Cup, which features an expanded format of 48 teams and 104 matches. The contingent includes six women referees, continuing FIFA's inclusion of female officials begun in Qatar.
Iran's national soccer team landed in Los Angeles on Sunday to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the same day Washington and Tehran announced a peace agreement ending a four-month war. The squad had previously been exiled to Mexico after U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran raised uncertainty about Iran's participation.
Four members of Iran's World Cup delegation have won appeals against US visa rejections, but 11 members of the party will not be allowed to travel to the US. Iran's team is based in Mexico after initially being denied visas for backroom staff members.
Iran was the only nation absent from FIFA's annual congress in Canada after officials were turned back at border control, amid reports of immigration issues and Canada's designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed Iran will participate in the World Cup this summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico.