Six heads of Arab national football associations, including those from Qatar and Morocco, co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup, have publicly backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino amid the fallout from a failed private investment plan announced on August 13.
Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, faced open rebellion after three confederations – UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF – criticized his actions and called for his resignation following the collapse of his attempt to attract private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
The Swiss official had proposed relinquishing commercial rights to the World Cup and selling 20 percent to private investors to raise approximately $4.2 billion. However, after the controversy erupted, he reversed this decision.
In a joint statement, the six federation leaders acknowledged the significant role of Arab football in uniting people and strengthening cooperation among football associations across the Arab world. They expressed their full support for Mr. Gianni Infantino and reaffirmed their confidence in his leadership and unwavering commitment to developing football globally.
The statement was signed by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, head of the Qatar Football Association, Hani Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, as well as the leaders of the football federations of Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, and Mauritania.
Among the six signatories, four – Al Thani, Abou Rida, Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco, and Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania – are also members of the FIFA Council.
“We deeply appreciate Mr. Infantino’s ongoing efforts to develop football worldwide, expand opportunities across all regions, and enhance the game’s role in bringing people and communities together,” the statement read.
“We look forward to continuing close cooperation with him to build a stronger and more prosperous future for global football, broaden opportunities, and further increase the contribution of Arab football to the global game,” it added.
It is worth recalling that following a crisis meeting in Morocco last week, FIFA issued an apology to its 211 member associations for mistakes made in evaluating the proposal and affirmed that its leadership fully supports Infantino.
The Swiss president will need a simple majority of 106 votes if he faces only one opponent in next year’s election. However, if there are three or more candidates, he will require a two-thirds majority—141 votes—in the first round of voting.
