Asia joins Canada in turning against... "No trust" in Infantino's unilateral operations → Recommends another presidential candidate

*This content was translated by AI.

Distrust of FIFA President Gianni Infantino is growing within the international football community. Following the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Canada, a co-host of the 2026 North American World Cup, has also publicly criticized In Pan-ti-no (Chairman).

Reuters reported on the 6th (Korea time) that "Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney questioned the process of handling the proposal to sell World Cup commercial rights and stated he does not trust In Pan-ti-no (Chairman)."

Prime Minister Carney, meeting with reporters in Toronto, Canada, pointed out Infantino's decision-making style, stating, "Proper governance does not mean keeping important matters secret from even your closest aides, the chief operating officer, or fellow board members," while criticizing In Pan-ti-no (Chairman).

Previously, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) pushed to establish a new corporation called 'FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE)' to manage commercial rights for FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, and proposed selling a portion of its shares to private investors.

The plan was to create a corporation worth approximately $20 billion (about 28 trillion won) and sell 20% of its shares to raise up to $4.2 billion (about 6 trillion won).

However, criticism poured in for pushing through such a major plan without providing sufficient information to continental football confederations and FIFA insiders. Facing strong backlash, FIFA ultimately withdrew the sale plan.

As a result of this incident, Carlos Cordeiro, who had served as Infantino's senior advisor, resigned last week.

Prime Minister Carney criticized, saying, "This is fatal. It must be fatal," and added, "One loses trust in such people."

He further emphasized, "Considering what happened and how it happened, I do not trust In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) at this point."

Canada co-hosted the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup with the United States and Mexico, which concluded last month. Just a month ago, the prime minister of a host nation that operated alongside FIFA for the World Cup publicly expressed distrust in In Pan-ti-no (Chairman).

Previously, the Asian football community also strongly opposed Infantino's plan to sell commercial rights.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, President of the AFC, sent a letter to 47 member nations under the AFC last month, criticizing FIFA for pushing through major plans without prior consultation, calling it "completely unacceptable."

President Salman pointed out that the AFC did not receive specific analysis on governance, finance, and legal matters from FIFA. He also warned that FIFA's unilateral actions could shake the foundation of the continental football system based on solidarity, cooperation, and transparency.

FIFA Secretary General Matthias Sammer also described this incident as "a sad and blameworthy event."

In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) also faced strong criticism over the controversy surrounding the revocation of Balogun's disciplinary action during the North American World Cup. Doubts arose that he removed the sanction at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, leading to growing backlash primarily from European football circles.

Infantino's current term, which began in 2016, extends until next year. With continued backlash over the commercial rights sale plan and a series of leadership controversies, significant pressure has also been placed on In Pan-ti-no (Chairman)'s moves toward the next presidential election.

Prime Minister Carney publicly praised another figure mentioned as a potential rival to In Pan-ti-no (Chairman). The person in question is Victor Montagliani, President of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and a Canadian businessman.

Regarding President Montagliani, Prime Minister Carney said, "He is a pride of Canada and a pride of the football world," and added, "He has performed an excellent role as CONCACAF president."

He further added, "I know him well and deeply respect him."

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*This content was translated by AI.