Aug 27 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2034 men’s World Cup, threw their its support behind FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Thursday as he continues to face criticism over the collapse of the governing body’s controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
In a statement, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) welcomed FIFA’s acknowledgement of mistakes, its apology and the decision to scrap the proposal, while calling for direct dialogue among football’s stakeholders to restore unity.
“At this time, SAFF supports the continued efforts of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA’s leadership to restore unity across the football family and continue growing the game for the benefit of all,” the federation said in a statement on its website.
Saudi Arabia’s backing is significant given its expanding role in world football.
The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund partnered with FIFA for the 2025 Club World Cup and also served as an official supporter in North America and Asia of this year’s World Cup, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s growing ties with the global governing body.
“The past three editions of the FIFA World Cup have demonstrated what football can achieve when its global family works together,” the federation said in a statement.
“The FIFA President’s contribution to growing the game worldwide over almost a decade should also be recognised.”
MOUNTING PRESSURE ON INFANTINO
Infantino, up for re-election in March 2027, has been criticised since tabling a now abandoned proposal to sell off a 20% stake in a commercial body for FIFA tournament rights, with several countries withdrawing their support for his candidacy.
The Swiss-Italian administrator is also under pressure from three confederations to resign, including UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The regional governing bodies have discussed a potential vote of no confidence in Infantino, who is planning to seek re-election for a fourth term next year and is likely to face strong opposition.
Infantino, who retains support from the African and South American confederations, has sought to sideline the confederations and appeal directly to individual members.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
