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At a crisis-hit World Cup, Gianni Infantino was threatened with sanctions, told to resign and boycotted by his Uefa counterpart at the final.
Unprecedented ticket-price profiteering and the “suspended suspension” of Folarin Balogun, the US forward, after lobbying from Donald Trump put his public reputation at an all-time low.
Nevertheless, Fifa’s defiant president leaves the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico with his grip on power as tight as ever.
During the most controversy-dogged tournament in sporting history, the money poured into football like never before – and Infantino cared little about his enemies as he celebrated with A-list glitterati on Sunday. Telegraph Sport identifies seven factors that explain why Infantino, for now, is going nowhere:
Enemies largely contained within Europe
Over the weekend, a Liberal Democrats press release called on the Football Association (FA) to leave Fifa in protest at the Balogun scandal, “predatory dynamic pricing” and border authorities turning away both fans and referees.
But such bullish demands appear futile. Telegraph Sport detailed 10 days ago how Infantino had already secured the FA’s backing in writing despite private misgivings within the English governing body’s council.
The FA, like many other potential Infantino critics, has taken a pragmatic approach. The only real protagonists against Infantino are contained within Europe’s borders. Since the Balogun scandal, Belgium, Germany and even Uefa have broken ranks to hit out at a crossed “red line”. Elsewhere, however, there has been deathly silence.
A-list factor of World Cup final glosses over Uefa absence
Amid hostilities, Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, refused to attend the final. Never before has a European football leader missed the match in such circumstances. But Infantino, known for his enthusiastic celebrity selfies, looked far from persona non grata on Sunday. Where else but at the World Cup final would Trump, Tom Cruise, Madonna and Beyoncé all jump on the same bandwagon?
Boos rang out from the stands as Infantino and Trump took to the field for the trophy ceremony. But Infantino appeared to be as bulletproof as the protective glass he had been standing behind for the match.
In interviews with Fox News, Trump heaped praise on Infantino. After the game, there were warm hugs for the 56-year-old Swiss from the likes of Lamine Yamal. The optics on Sunday were firmly in Infantino’s favour.
No obvious candidate to stand against him
As it stands, Infantino already has the votes for re-election, despite whispers of enemies trying to coax a challenger from potential African candidates. Whoever came forward would have a mountain to climb. The Fifa Congress consists of 211 member associations, and, while there is no definitive whip count, insiders believe he already has between 190 and 200 backers – including the FA – who have written formal letters of support before the election.
The strongest public declarations so far have been from Africa, which has 54 votes, Asia, which has 47 votes, and Conmebol (South America), which has 10 votes.
“For most nations, the Balogun outrage has already died down,” one key executive said after canvassing international opinion. “None of his established supporters have really wavered to the point that they will change their votes.”
World Cup revenues rise dramatically
Perhaps the biggest reason Infantino is safe is that his entire electorate is on his Fifa gravy train, while the governing body has presided over a phenomenal upturn in revenue. Grants to member nations have quadrupled during Infantino’s 10 years in charge.
The not-for-profit organisation will now reinvest at least $11.67bn (£8.7bn) of its $13bn from this World Cup cycle “to boost global football development”, a 20 per cent increase on the current cycle. About $2.7bn will be allocated in direct funding to Fifa’s 211 member federations and the six continental confederations.
And more carrots are expected in the years ahead as Infantino considers proposals for another money-spinning World Cup expansion, to 64 teams.
Player burnout rows die down
Some of Infantino’s fiercest critics, the players’ unions crying foul over calendar pressures, have gone quiet in recent months.
Last Friday, a scheduled press conference organised by global players’ union, the International Federation of Professional Footballers’ Associations (Fifpro), was quietly dropped. Sources with understanding of the situation say Infantino is being given time to deliver on a promise he made in June to include the players in consultations when major decisions affecting the game are agreed.
Fifa has put the pledge in writing, agreeing a memorandum of understanding, which it says “marks [a] paradigm shift in governance of professional football, with transfer system and player welfare standards”.
For the first time, Fifpro will have a veto over key areas of the game’s governance and also observer access, with speaking rights, at the powerful Fifa Council.
Balogun complaints unlikely to have much effect
The best thing that happened to Infantino at this tournament was Belgium’s 4-1 victory over the US in the hours after Trump’s admission that he requested Balogun’s red card be overturned.
Those who have lodged complaints against Infantino hold little hope that sanctions will ensue over the tournament’s integrity row. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) received a formal complaint from the human rights organisation FairSquare.
IOC rules state that members such as Infantino cannot accept “from governments, organisations or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote”. But multiple sources say there is unlikely to be a formal investigation.
Strong alliances with Saudi Arabia
As he walked onto the pitch for the trophy presentation at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Infantino was warmly greeted by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Newcastle United owner and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor. Infantino’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, the 2034 host, is now his No 1 priority as he moves on from his Trump love-in over recent years.
Fifa has major partnerships with Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned petroleum and natural gas company, and Infantino’s $1bn Club World Cup TV rights deal with DAZN was made possible thanks to PIF investment in the streaming service.
But Saudi Arabia is not the only nation with incentive to ensure Infantino remains in position beyond next year. At the 2030 World Cup, six nations are involved in hosting with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay staging one opening match each before the main hosting responsibilities are handed to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Never have so many nations been involved in the World Cup. All of them will help buffer Infantino in the years ahead.
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