Infantino insists he has 'vast, vast majority' of world football behind him despite World Cup sell-off fallout
Fifa president Gianni Infantino says he has the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of world football, and laughed off questions about whether he had considered resigning over the World Cup sell-off debacle.
In a rare interview with BBC Sport, speaking in Baku before the Fifa Under-15 World Cup, Infantino struck a defiant tone about his position in the wake of the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. He said it was not always easy to bring different points of view "under one roof".
"There is nothing bad in disagreeing"
"There is nothing bad in disagreeing," he said. "We see it every day in so many countries in the world. It's OK to disagree. It's OK to have different points of view, but then we need to be able to move on."
Two months ago, Infantino faced mounting calls to stand down as president of the organisation he has led since 2016. The heads of European football's governing body Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf signed a letter accusing the Fifa president of breaking trust "through deception". Under FFE, which Infantino scrapped within days, a portion of the commercial rights of football's world governing body would have been given to a private investment firm.
Uefa deadline and apology to council
Last week Uefa demanded that Fifa release all key documents relating to FFE by 2 November, with Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis saying the organisation had failed to address "a number of fundamental questions".
Only last week, Infantino apologised to the Fifa Council over the "communication and consultation" regarding FFE. Council members told him in that meeting that he was not "fit to be Fifa president" if he did not provide the documents they had requested, including the rationale for FFE. Asked when those papers would be provided, he did not give a clear answer, saying they had to follow a "legal process" and that they were "working on it".
"We'll answer of course all the questions that are asked as far as the process allows, as far as we can," he said. He admitted that the Fifa administration had done "some things which are maybe less good", and said dialogue with Uefa needed to happen "more often" to repair the strained relationship.
Re-election path looks clear
Since the letter, Infantino has travelled widely, appearing in Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Cape Verde and Japan. He said he had been "fully endorsed" by the Asian Football Confederation following a U-turn by its president Sheikh Salman, and had the backing of all African countries.
Asked by the BBC whether he was fit to be Fifa president, and whether he had considered standing down, he laughed before replying: "Well you know I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world."
"If we are serious about democracy, about the democratic process, about believing that everyone has the same vote and the same voice all over the world, that football belongs to everyone, then we need to respect as well the views of the vast, vast majority."
He added: "There are different points of view, it's not always easy to bring them all under one roof, but we need to respect and I do respect all opinions, all views, and then it will be up to the Fifa member associations to decide who they want as a president and how they want Fifa to be run."
The deadline for candidates to confirm they are standing against Infantino in the March election is 18 November. None have yet filed, and he could stand unopposed. Re-election for a fourth term now looks increasingly likely.
Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan
Infantino arrived in Baku on Friday for the Fifa Under-15 World Cup and Festival, which features teams from 189 member associations. England, Spain, France, Argentina and Brazil are among the competitors. Russia have also sent a team, marking their first appearance in a Fifa-sanctioned tournament since Fifa and Uefa suspended Russian teams in February 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.
The tournament is for boys this year, with next year's edition for girls only, and from 2028 Fifa plans to have boys and girls competing annually. Matches are 8v8 on smaller pitches with 20-minute halves.
"It's just beautiful to bring the world together at such a young age to create something like this," Infantino said. "When some of these boys participate in a World Cup 10 years, 20 years from now, they will all remember that their first World Cup was here."