After standing by his side during many of this summer’s FIFA World Cup games, Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has lost all confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The prime minister’s comments add to growing calls for Infantino’s resignation following an abandoned plan to sell off commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors.
“I don’t have confidence in Mr. Infantino after this point, given what transpired and given the nature of what transpired,” Carney said.
The prime minister said Infantino made a “fatal” mistake when he failed to consult top FIFA officials on his plan to create a $20 billion company to run the World Cup.
That company, he proposed, would include private investors like the Kushner family, a prominent American real estate and political dynasty with ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“This is not how you run any business, a small business, let alone something that is a global responsibility like football,” Carney said.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), as the plan was called, drew immense backlash from soccer federations worldwide. UEFA’s 55 member associations agreed to boycott the World Cup altogether if the plan moved forward.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation also opposed the plan.
“I do not believe he, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last Sunday.
In crisis mode to save his job, multiple reports state Infantino offered Morocco the opportunity to host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for the support of its soccer association.
FIFA denied the claim, stating that it’s “false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”
Though abandoned, top FIFA officials Arsène Wenger and Mattias Grafström distanced themselves from the shareholder plan Tuesday. Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned last week and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said staff were “deceived” by the president’s lack of openness.
Now, FIFA says it has “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino’s presidency.
In a statement, FIFA said Secretary General Grafström and members of the management board had given their support to the embattled president.
Referring to the FFE, the statement said “mistakes made were acknowledged” and that the “process should have been handled differently.”
FIFA said a letter had been sent to the FIFA Council and member associations apologizing for errors and committing to “ensure they do not happen again.”
But support for Infantino’s leadership has also dwindled because of other concerns, including his close relationship with President Trump.
The day before the U.S. was set to face off against Belgium, FIFA lifted the suspension of an American player after receiving a call from Trump.
The Belgian soccer federation said it was “astonished” by the news and appealed the decision. That appeal was dismissed just hours before kickoff.
UEFA criticized FIFA for an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision” and warned that “the integrity of the game is at stake.”
Canada Soccer issued a statement on Wednesday saying it remains aligned with both CONCACAF’s stance and Carney’s comments, and will review the matter at its board meeting next week before determining next steps.
Infantino is still aiming to win a fourth and final term in office at the March elections.
If the current president were to leave, Canadian Victor Montagliani, the current head of CONCACAF, is a front-runner to replace him.
Asked on Wednesday whether he would support Montagliani taking over as FIFA president, Carney noted that the decision will be made by world soccer’s governing body, not international politicians.
The prime minister added that he has “tremendous respect” for the former president of Canada Soccer.
“He’s an exceptional individual; he’s a credit to Canada, credit to football,” Carney said. “He’s done a very good job in his role at CONCACAF … Loves the game. Loves the game.”
—with files from The Canadian Press and Associated Press
Based on reporting by Global News.