Infantino, the FIFA president under pressure after scrapped investor plan

When the 56-year-old, who holds Swiss, Italian and Lebanese citizenship, strode onto the pitch with his close friend, US President Donald Trump, after the World Cup final a fortnight ago, his stock could not have been higher. The largest and most complex edition of the sport’s jewel in the crown, featuring 48 teams and spread over three countries, was largely judged a success despite a series of off-pitch controversies. He had also delivered more money into the coffers of his electorate, FIFA’s 211 member associations.

The son of Italian migrants, who once said he had been bullied in Switzerland when he was a youngster for having red hair and freckles, was riding high. Infantino has largely limited his media appearances, unlike his predecessor Sepp Blatter. That rare revelation about being bullied as a child came as he was attempting to bat off criticism of 2022 World Cup host Qatar’s human rights record.

“I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled,” he said. “But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated against as a foreigner in a foreign country. As a child I was bullied -– because I had red hair and freckles.” The lawyer was first elected in 2016 and re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.

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But has been accused of allowing FIFA to become an autocracy in recent years. For his critics, this was epitomised by the debacle of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, announced and then shelved last week. FFE, very much seen as Infantino’s project, envisaged bringing private investment into FIFA’s tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.

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