FIFA’s legal director resigns…
The Caribbean Football Association announced, on Friday, its support for Gianni Infantino for another term as President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in the elections scheduled for next March.
Infantino recently made two visits to the Caribbean Union (which includes 31 member states, 25 of which have the right to vote), with the aim of ensuring support for this bloc, despite the continuing controversy over his investment plan for the World Cup, which was not successful.
The federation said in a statement: “The Caribbean Football Association confirms that it has reached its collective position through consultation with its member associations. In the same spirit, the federation continues to call for enhancing transparency, good governance, and fundamental reforms within the football family.”
The Caribbean Football Association is the second major voting bloc to publicly announce its support for Infantino. Last month, the Asian Football Confederation, which represents 47 member associations, announced its support for him for another term.
It is noteworthy that the deadline for submitting candidate nominations is November 18, and Infantino’s first competitor appeared last Thursday, when Kozo Tashima, a member of the FIFA Council, who worked alongside Infantino for about 11 years, announced his intention to run for the presidency of the federation.
In a related context, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced, the day before yesterday, Friday, that Emilio Garcia Silvero, FIFA’s legal director for the past eight years, will leave the position of Director of the Legal Affairs and Compliance Department, to begin a new chapter in his professional career in Madrid, with the Spanish football center losing one of its most prominent representatives in the executive structure of the body responsible for managing global football.
At his request, Garcia will end his term at FIFA after the 2026 World Cup, and at a time when preparations are continuing for the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, amid continuing uncertainty about the stadium that will host the final match.
According to a report by the Spanish newspaper “Marca”, Silvero led fundamental changes in aspects of the organization of world football, including the international clearing system for payments, the rules governing player agents, which were recently approved by the European Court of Justice, and the new international transfer system. Furthermore, his leadership of global programs has made access to football rules more accessible and transparent across all six of FIFA’s continental confederations.
During this period, Silvero held various positions on committees of the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In an official statement, FIFA thanked Silverio for his eight years of dedication to serving world football. “After eight years leading the Legal and Compliance Department, Emilio García Silvero has expressed his desire to start a new chapter in his career and return to Spain,” the statement read. The statement added: “Since joining FIFA at the 2018 World Cup, Emilio has actively contributed to the development and modernization of the regulatory framework governing international football. As an executive, he led a team of professionals in the Zurich and Miami offices, where he oversaw major projects, regulatory reforms, educational initiatives, and programs aimed at enhancing transparency, legal certainty and providing access to knowledge of football rules and regulations.”
The statement concluded: “FIFA expresses its gratitude to Emilio for his commitment, professionalism and compassion throughout these years he has spent in the service of world football.”
