African migrants, Donald Trump and ‘Today I feel gay’: Gianni Infantino’s 10 most outrageous quotes as Fifa president Today I feel... What Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s utterances lack in self-awareness they make up for in bombast and questionable parallels. From praising President Trump, Russia and Iran to comparing his career with Rwanda’s recovery from genocide, Infantino’s speeches and other public pronouncements rarely fail to raise eyebrows. To mark his re-election, City A.M. has compiled 10 of [...]
Fifa’s Infantino says first election win was inspired by Rwanda genocide recovery re-elected Fifa president Gianni Infantino has likened his first election win in 2016 to the Rwandan genocide recovery as he spoke upon his re-election in the country’s capital Kigali. “What this country has suffered and how this country came back up is inspiring for the entire world,” he said. The Fifa president, first elected in 2016, [...]
Why Fifa’s 2026 World Cup U-turn risks a fresh player welfare row Kicking off Fifa is set to risk a new player welfare row by redesigning the format of the next men’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, according to reports. Football’s world governing body had planned to divide the 48 teams at the expanded 2026 tournament into 16 groups of three, in order to allay fears [...]
Ed Warner: Is Infantino a moonbeam or a clown? Either way, Fifa boss is here to stay December 1, 2022 Gianni Infantino. Moonbeam or clown? Flibbertigibbet? Certainly. Problem-solver, or problem to be solved? All depends on where you are coming from – quite literally. Just don’t expect Fifa’s demon/angel (delete according to taste) president to be going anywhere soon. Most likely not until 2031. Football’s Swiss-Italian head honcho has been front and centre of the [...]
FIFA boss expects record 5 billion people to watch 2022 World Cup in Qatar May 24, 2022 The 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar is expected to be watched by 5 billion people around the world, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said. Watch the full video report.
Exclusive: World’s biggest litigation funder Harbour strikes £2m deal with sports lawyers to fund ‘no win, no fee’ FIFA lawsuits February 24, 2022 Private litigation funder Harbour has struck a £2m deal with specialist law firm Morgan Sports Law, through which Harbour plans to cover footballers’ legal costs in employment disputes put forward on a “no win, no fee” basis. Harbour will cover any legal costs in disputes between professional footballers and their employers, and take a cut [...]
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini charged with fraud over £1.35m payment November 2, 2021 Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the former presidents of Fifa and Uefa, are facing trial after being charged with fraud by Swiss prosecutors. The charges relate to a payment of 2m Swiss francs (£1.35m) made by Fifa to Platini in 2011, when Blatter ran football’s world governing body. Blatter, who was forced out of Fifa [...]
Laura McAllister interview: Former Wales captain and Fifa Council candidate on women’s football, greedy clubs and moderniser Infantino April 16, 2021 Wales have come to be a force to be reckoned with in international football. Their men’s team, led by galactico Gareth Bale, have qualified for successive European Championships for the first time, while their women have also continued their steady rise up Fifa’s world rankings. Now Welshwoman Laura McAllister is aiming to make a similar [...]
Francois Carrard: Fifa names former IOC boss as head of reform process August 11, 2015 Dr Francois Carrard, a former director general of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will lead a committee tasked with reforming scandal-hit Fifa. Read more: Ambushed Fifa boss Sepp Blatter to step aside in February Football's governing body today named its 16-man "2016 reform committee" to develop a package of proposals for change by September. Yet [...]
What would Fifa under wannabe president Michel Platini look like? Sepp Blatter’s potential successor on the Qatar World Cup, FFP, goal-line technology and sin bin punishments July 29, 2015 Michel Platini is the bookies' favourite to replace Sepp Blatter as Fifa president after the current Uefa boss confirmed his intention to stand as a candidate in next year's election. Read more: Uefa boss Michel Platini will run to replace Sepp Blatter A legendary player, Platini has been more divisive in his role as a football [...]