Football fans launch global petition urging FIFA boss Infantino to resign over World Cup ‘betrayal’
GENEVA: A collection of soccer fan groups from around the world launched a petition Thursday calling for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA president after he tried to sell future World Cup profits to private investors. The petition with the hashtag InfantinOut also calls for “FIFA to be rebuilt so that the current debacle can never happen again.” “The shameful attempt by one individual — the FIFA President himself — to sell off the World Cup to private investors exposed a betrayal football will never forget,” the petition said about Infantino’s plan for a commercial spinoff, which he dropped amid a furious backlash. The fan groups include Football Supporters Europe, Football Supporters Africa and, in North America, the Independent Supporters Council, plus about 40 national fan groups worldwide. Infantino has resisted calls to leave office despite European soccer body UEFA saying it has no confidence in him. He has also been criticized by the leadership of North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. “Gianni Infantino has demonstrated a profound failure of leadership, incompatible with democratic governance,” the fan petition states.
