FIFA president Gianni Infantino will almost certainly stand a chance at a fourth term in world football president Gianni Infantino's job as the game's governing body president has been supported by an overwhelming majority of FIFA's member associations for a fourth term as he is already supported by the majority of his association in the game and his governance issues and allegations of recent behaviour seem to be in place.
According to The Guardian, more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations have signed letters supporting Infantino’s re-election. There is no other candidate, and only a handful of federations yet to declare their position, the Swiss-Italian administrator is on course to extend his tenure comfortably.
That support is indicative of Infantino’s great influence on international football, at least among the leagues outside Europe, even though criticism is coming from parts of the European football community.
Overwhelming Global Support
Among the professional associations that have already backed Infantino is the English Football Association which submitted its letter of support well before FIFA World Cup began.
Germany remains the most prominent national federation yet to publicly back the incumbent president. But UEFA's member associations have already pledged their support, leaving little prospect of a coordinated European challenge.
In fact, Infantino has yet to face any legitimate rivals, and his path to another four-year term is virtually uncontested.
Though there have been a number of recent controversies in football, none has actually amounted to a serious campaign against the FIFA president.
FIFA-UEFA Tensions Continue
FIFA and UEFA have already strained relations during the FIFA World Cup.
One of the biggest points of disagreement was the controversial suspension of Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban which gave the United States striker an entry to the Round of 16 against Belgium.
UEFA has also protested FIFA's decision to exclude Somali referee Omar Artan from refereeing at the World Cup, and there is a brewing conflict between the two.
There has been little indication UEFA will unite behind an alternative presidential candidate, despite these disputes.
Some senior football officials believe that even a symbolic challenger with 30 to 40 votes would have opened a debate on FIFA’s future direction, governance standards and decisions made.
IOC Complaint Adds Pressure
Infantino's re-election also comes amid an ethics complaint brought by advocacy organisation FairSquare to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The group has asked the IOC to investigate if the FIFA president breached rules on political neutrality through his relationship with US President Donald Trump and his alleged role in the disciplinary decision involving Folarin Balogun.
According to the complaint, Infantino violated IOC principles on several occasions during the World Cup.
The controversy centers around Balogun’s red card during the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. The striker was automatically suspended after being sent off in the 64th minute following a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic.
However, FIFA later suspended the one-match ban by invoking Article 27 of its disciplinary code, making Balogun eligible to play against Belgium.
The decision was met with intense debate as U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged that Balogun should be allowed to participate.
Infantino later acknowledged he received a phone call from Trump but said that he had “not influenced” the disciplinary process and denied any improper involvement in FIFA’s decision.
Focus Shifts to FIFA's Future
FIFA's member associations are scheduled to meet in New York on Saturday under Infantino’s chairmanship.
Even with the recent controversies, we do not expect governance to be a primary topic or discipline to be a major focus of the meeting.
Instead, discussions will probably be more about the financial success of the FIFA World Cup and its future commercial growth and the distribution of revenues among FIFA's 211 member associations.
The governing body has repeatedly pointed out record revenues of the expanded tournament format and the greater financial support available for national football federations throughout the world.
Fourth Term Looks All But Certain
Taken together with nearly 200 member associations already backing his campaign and no opponent has come forward, Gianni Infantino is likely to remain FIFA president for another term.
And even though criticism of governance, transparency and political neutrality is not likely to go away, the overwhelming electoral support shows his international support.
His re-election would allow him to continue to oversee one of the most profitable periods in FIFA’s history while also facing growing calls from some quarters of world football for greater accountability and reforms in the organisation's governance.
