British PM slams FIFA boss

AP:

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham yesterday declared that FIFA President Gianni Infantino is not the right man to lead world football’s governing body, in the latest fallout from the abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

“I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” Burnham said. “The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that. It wasn’t acceptable.”

On Saturday, European football’s governing body, UEFA, said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership — possibly paving the way for a challenge to Infantino’s presidency. Concacaf, the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, also said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first”.

Infantino was forced to back down from his controversial proposal to sell World Cup profits through a commercial subsidiary that would run FIFA’s top competitions. The plan collapsed after UEFA’s 55 member nations agreed on Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also voiced opposition.

Despite Infantino’s retreat, UEFA said it would work with other confederations to “devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again”. It added: “No option should be off the table.”

While Infantino has received pockets of support from associations, including 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, Burnham’s words underscored the anger generated by his plans.

The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March in Rabat, Morocco. The deadline for candidates to enter the contest is November 18, four months ahead of the vote.