Six Arab football federations back Infantino; Qatar, Lebanon split from AFC position
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Six Arab national football association heads signed a joint statement Thursday backing FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Reuters reported. Four signatories sit on FIFA's 37-member Council, even as Qatar and Lebanon belong to the Asian Football Confederation that joined UEFA and CONCACAF on Aug. 10 in demanding an independent review of Infantino's conduct.
The Arab Statement
Six Arab federation presidents — from Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan and Mauritania — signed a joint statement Thursday backing FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Reuters reported. Four signatories sit on the 37-member FIFA Council. Morocco is a 2030 World Cup co-host, and Infantino is seeking re-election next year after a failed private investment plan. The statement says the associations express full support for Infantino and trust in his leadership.
The Confederation Rift
Qatar and Lebanon belong to the Asian Football Confederation, which on Aug. 10 joined UEFA and CONCACAF in an open letter criticizing Infantino and demanding an independent review. Morocco, Egypt, Sudan and Mauritania represent the African confederation, which previously backed Infantino unanimously. 1news.az noted that Mexico had earlier split from CONCACAF, and that votes are cast by 211 national associations individually, not by confederations. Infantino had proposed selling 20% of World Cup commercial rights to private investors for about $4.2 billion before scrapping the plan, Reuters reported.
Support and Opposition
Recent backing for Infantino includes Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, and, according to media reports, Indonesia, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, UAE, Mongolia, Bhutan, Nigeria, Comoros, Malawi, Uganda and Gambia. CONMEBOL has declined to support any removal attempt without a vote of all 211 associations, while the African confederation supports him on behalf of all 54 members. On the opposing side, England, Wales, Sweden, Finland, Serbia, Albania and Croatia have withdrawn support; Croatia cited a careful reassessment over 2026 World Cup events. Reuters reported that Ireland also rescinded support, citing governance and transparency concerns, and Norway federation president Lise Klaveness demanded Infantino's immediate resignation.
What's Next
Nomination papers for the FIFA presidency are due by Nov. 18, with the vote set for the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027; 106 of 211 votes are needed to win. It remains unclear whether the UEFA boycott will hold when Poland hosts the Under-20 Women's World Cup from Sept. 5, and no association has yet filed the 43 written requests needed to convene an extraordinary congress.
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Six Arab football federations back Infantino; Qatar, Lebanon split from AFC position
