Story by Isaac Seelochan
Arsene Wenger has distanced himself from Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plans to sell a stake in FIFA competitions. The controversial plan faced fierce opposition.
European football association UEFA were particularly vocal, threatening to pull out of all FIFA events, including the World Cup, if the plan went through. CONCACAF, which oversees football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, also joined the criticism of FIFA’s leadership. Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa was another senior figure who welcomed the U-turn.
And now former Arsenal manager Wenger has shared his view in a statement. The Frenchman works as chief of global football development at the world football governing body.
He said: “I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
Infantino smiles© Getty
Wenger’s statement on the controversy came after a letter from UEFA’s lawyers to Infantino. The communication threatened legal action and named the former coach among 18 executives whose data and communications should be retained as potential evidence.
England are set to join Wales and several other nations in withdrawing their support for the under-pressure Infantino. The Swiss Italian will be seeking re-election as FIFA president for the 2027-2031 term.
Some nations have chosen to support Infantino and praised his decision to row back on the plans. Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bhutan, and Sri Lanka have all issued statements.
Infantino took to his Instagram story to share those messages of support and captioned each statement with a flag of the country and a handshake emoji.
The former UEFA secretary general was reportedly looking to speak with President Donald Trump‘s administration in a desperate attempt to hold onto his position. The Independent reported on Monday that the 56-year-old was scheduled to speak with senior figures in the Trump administration in an attempt to bolster support for his leadership of FIFA.
But US. assistant secretary of state for global public affairs Dylan Johnson denied claims that a meeting will take place. FIFA have also come out on Tuesday to describe the claims as ‘pure fiction’.
