Argentina publicly back Infantino as FIFA president amid World Cup rights row
Argentina and Mexico have publicly supported FIFA president Gianni Infantino following a controversy over a failed $20 billion commercial rights proposal. While some nations back his leadership, UEFA continues to threaten a boycott of FIFA competitions.
Why it matters
The internal power struggle within FIFA reflects deep divisions regarding the governance and commercialization of global football.
Football's growing divide over FIFA president Gianni Infantino showed no sign of easing on Friday, with some of his supporters publicly backing him while UEFA stood by its threat to boycott FIFA competitions.The disagreement comes a week after Infantino withdrew his proposal to raise around $4.2 billion by selling a stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup and other tournaments.Football bodies around the world continued to take sides. Mexico and Argentina's football associations became the latest to support Infantino, following the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) unanimous backing of his leadership on Thursday.Argentina's Football Association (AFA) also praised FIFA for admitting mistakes in the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.Infantino has been under pressure after abandoning a plan, reportedly worth $20 billion, to sell part of the commercial rights of the World Cup through a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise.In an open letter to Infantino, AFA president Claudio Tapia…
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