FIFA President Gianni Infantino will face his harshest internal critics Thursday as he seeks to shore up his support ahead of a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to declare their intention to run against him.
The Zurich meeting will take place that of Infantino first in-person meeting with the entire FIFA Council since that of Infantino project to create a commercial subsidiary of the organization with the president that of Donald Trump son-in-law, Joshua Kushneras a key investor. The proposal, called FIFA Forward Enterprise, was shelved in the face of insurmountable backlash.
“He needs to calm the waters out of this situation – he’s not going to calm everyone down, but he absolutely needs to appease some of his biggest critics right now,” said a person involved in world football at the highest levels, speaking on condition of anonymity to speak candidly about internal matters. “Because if he falls or trips, I think it will be a real setback for him.”
The meeting agenda opens with remarks from Infantino and current affairs, including a review of the 2026 World Cup, before turning to areas that could put the FIFA president at odds with the 37 members of the organization’s top decision-making body. This includes the FIFA Peace Prize attributed to Asset last December, the failure of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and the organization’s disciplinary procedures, which could raise questions about that of Infantino relations with the White House around a red card issued to an American player during the World Cup.
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