The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) officially withdrew its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino on August 27, amid mounting pressure after the failed plan to sell equity in tournaments, including the World Cup, did not succeed.
According to the FIGC statement, the decision aims to “clearly and transparently express the FIGC's position on the recent initiatives by the FIFA President regarding the governance and development of international tournaments.”
Earlier, a series of European football federations, including England, Ireland, and Wales, had announced they would stop supporting Infantino, who is seeking re-election at the FIFA Congress next year. Pressure from Europe has increased after FIFA's plan to raise private capital for its tournaments was scrapped.
FIGC President Giovanni Malago said: “We will continue to work with UEFA and other European federations to promote a vision of football based on fairness, solidarity, sustainability, and the central role of fans. We aim for a model of dialogue, listening, and shared responsibility.”
However, in this context, Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro, the 2006 World Cup champion, has expressed his support for Infantino. On social media, Cannavaro wrote: “Over the past 10 years, world football has progressed, and players once again play a central role. Infantino has done his job very well. Not recognizing that is intellectually dishonest.”
The former defender, now coaching the Uzbekistan national team, also joins a group of former stars supporting the FIFA president, including Cafu (Brazil), Roberto Carlos (Brazil), Javier Zanetti (Argentina), Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), Ivan Ramiro Cordoba (Colombia), and Jared Borgetti (Mexico). Cafu, a World Cup champion in 1994 and 2002, wrote: “We have followed FIFA's and President Infantino's work in promoting player representation in football, which has never been seen before.”
This move comes after a group of former players led by former French defender Mikael Silvestre called for “change” in FIFA leadership.
Infantino, 56, a former UEFA General Secretary, replaced Sepp Blatter in 2016 with broad support from European nations. However, UEFA later withdrew its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments after receiving assurances that the failed equity sale plan would not be revived.
