Pressure mounts on FIFA President Gianni Infantino as FIFA ‘legends’ urge resignation

Leadership from former and present international soccer players, including “official Fifa ‘legends,’” shared a joint statement “saying ‘enough is enough’” after revelations of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, according to Martyn Ziegler of the London TIMES. The players are “concerned that football is ‘drifting away from its core values’ under the current leadership.” Former France D Mikael Silvestre, a member of FIFA’s Players’ Voice Panel, was “among those who posted a statement on social media calling for ‘a new era’” in FIFA. England D Lucy Bronze and former France MF Emmanuel Petit “also posted the same statement.” FIFA has “previously used some official ‘FIFA legends’ to support Infantino’s schemes,” so the fact that at least one of these has “directly criticised the leadership is seen as significant.” Meanwhile, UEFA will hold a meeting of its executive committee and the majority of the presidents of its 55 member associations in Monaco later this week to “determine the next steps around its boycott” of FIFA tournaments. Cameroonian Football Federation President Samuel Eto’o has “called for the World Cup sell-off plan to be put back on the table.” Eto’o told CNN Sport, “I don’t think that president Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong.” He added, “The timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out” (London TIMES, 8/24).