- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,242,934
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham believes Gianni Infantino is 'the wrong man to lead' FIFA -Credit:Bloomberg, Bloomberg via Getty Images
Andy Burnham has declared Gianni Infantino is the "wrong man" to be heading FIFA amid the controversy surrounding proposals to sell a stake in the World Cup.
The British Prime Minister labeled the scheme an "outrageous idea" after FIFA seemingly doubled down, with Infantino giving football associations until September 19 to support his plan. The governing body claims it has initiated a consultation regarding the establishment of a separate $20 billion (£14.9 billion) company to operate its competitions, which will be named FIFA Forward Enterprise.
Infantino's authority suffered another setback after Carlos Cordeiro, one of his senior advisers, stepped down with immediate effect in opposition to proposals to sell a stake in the World Cup, as per The Mirror.
- Donald Trump sparks outrage with Harry Kane World Cup comments
- CONCACAF joins UEFA in rejecting Gianni Infantino's controversial FIFA World Cup stake sale
You must be registered for see images attach
-Credit:JIM WATSON, AFP via Getty Images
And upon learning of this development, the PM stated his resistance to the plans was "strengthening," arguing the concept should "never even have been brought forward." When asked whether he believed Infantino should follow his advisor's departure, Burnham added he was "the wrong man to lead the organization."
Burnham's remarks make him the first leader of a major nation to question Infantino's position. UEFA has already threatened to boycott future FIFA tournaments, while U.S. Soccer boss Cordeiro condemned "a bad deal for football" and highlighted that the global governing body already holds massive amounts of debt-free reserves.
He said: "I cannot stand by while Fifa considers selling a stake in the World Cup. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally. It is a bad deal for Fifa's member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."
Cordeiro has served at FIFA since 2021 as senior advisor to Infantino and also functioned as a senior advisor to the White House task force on this summer's World Cup. In stepping down, he stated FIFA "already has the financial capacity to provide [additional financial] support from existing resources".
To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE
He emphasized that FIFA would be "mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification" if it disposed of a permanent stake.
Earlier this week UEFA, European soccer's governing body, declared: "The World Cup is not for sale," as 55 nations threatened to boycott Fifa competitions." They added: "No Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that Fifa will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership."
The English FA supported the position, stating: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view. We oppose Fifa's plans - the Fifa World Cup belongs to football and always will, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough."
The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF have likewise expressed their disapproval of the proposals. FIFA had tried to reinforce its stance, declaring, "We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA [member association] has the ability to express its vote based on facts".
A statement from the Asian federation read: "The AFC calls upon Fifa to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed through proper consultation, meaningful engagement and appropriate oversight by Fifa's statutory bodies."
Continue reading...
