Infantino claims backing of ‘vast majority’ amid Fifa dispute

Fifa president Gianni Infantino says he has the backing of the “vast, vast majority” of world football, despite a dispute with European football’s governing body over a proposal to sell part of Fifa’s commercial rights to a private investment firm.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Infantino laughed when asked whether he had considered resigning. He said his re-election for a fourth term should be decided by Fifa’s member associations, which each have one vote. The election is due in March; candidates have until 18 November to confirm they are standing, and none had filed at the time of the interview.

Infantino’s comments come after criticism of the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, which he abandoned within days. The heads of Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf had accused him in a letter of breaking trust “through deception”. Uefa has since demanded that Fifa release key documents about the proposal by 2 November, saying fundamental questions remain unanswered.

Infantino said he would answer questions “as far as the process allows” and that Fifa was “working on” providing the papers. He apologised to the Fifa Council over the communication and consultation around the proposal, but did not give a clear timetable for releasing the requested documents.

He said the Asian Football Confederation had fully endorsed him and that African national associations had done so too. The BBC reports that his re-election now looks likely, though he could still face a challenger before the deadline.

Infantino also said Fifa needed more frequent dialogue with Uefa to repair their strained relationship, and acknowledged that the administration had done “some things which are maybe less good”.