'How shameless can one be?' Women scandal + World Cup sale controversy → President seeks re-election... FIFA: "Infantino will run again"

*This content was translated by AI.

An endlessly shameless conduct. Amid a surge in calls for resignation following the push to sell stakes in a World Cup special purpose fund and a series of scandals, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has refused to back down on his intention to run in the 2027 presidential election despite fierce public backlash.

Sports outlet 'The Athletic' reported on the 7th (Korean time) that "FIFA confirmed that In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) will seek a third term despite widespread opposition across the football world."

According to the media, an FIFA spokesperson told 'The Athletic': "The FIFA president already announced in April his intention to run again in the 2027 election. Nothing has changed. In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) will run for re-election," conveying the official stance.

Recently, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) faced a fierce backlash after attempting to establish a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), dedicated solely to commercial and ticket sales rights for major FIFA tournaments including the World Cup, and sell stakes to private investors. When the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) led by North America, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) united to declare a tournament boycott, the plan was completely scrapped, but the fallout remains severe.

UEFA has filed lawsuits demanding the release of internal FIFA documents in U.S. courts, pushing In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) toward criminal breach-of-trust charges. Major European countries including England, Scotland, Wales, and Sweden have already withdrawn their support, and UEFA plans to field a rival candidate at its March 2027 general assembly in Morocco to end the Infantino regime.

On top of this, past personal scandals surrounding In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) have also surfaced. According to the British outlet 'The Telegraph', In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) is under suspicion of having an inappropriate relationship with a younger female employee during his tenure as UEFA Secretary-General and misappropriating public funds.

At the time, the woman in question was promoted to executive level despite her junior status and received severance pay of at least several hundred thousand pounds upon leaving. It emerged that she even received funding from UEFA public money, which should have been used for youth football development, to cover MBA tuition fees at a business school costing approximately 45,000 pounds (about 86 million won) annually per year. When then-UEFA President Michel Platini raised the issue, it is said the matter was hushed up with a large settlement payment.

Criticism continues to mount against In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) for attempting to transfer World Cup stakes to a venture capital firm linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump, and for violating political neutrality obligations by overturning the suspension of U.S. national team striker Paul Arriola following a single phone call from President Trump. The controversy was further compounded by disputes over ticket prices for this year's North American World Cup.

However, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) shows no sign of stepping down. FIFA leadership has formalized the re-election bid and declared a direct confrontation. With next year's presidential election approaching, conflicts over football power are escalating into an extreme showdown.

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*This content was translated by AI.