Fifa hits out at attempts to ‘undermine’ Gianni Infantino in furious statement

Fifa has hit out at what it described as attempts to “undermine” its embattled president, Gianni Infantino . Infantino has faced calls to resign from his role in the aftermath of a saga that saw him abandon a proposed plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions. That proposal brought the threat of a boycott from Uefa, European football’s governing body, with England’s Football Association (FA) among those to officially withdraw their support for the Fifa president. Infantino is due to seek re-election in March of next year. He has received backing from South American body Conmebol and the Confederation of African Football (Caf). Fifa president Gianni Infantino is under pressure (AP) Infantino succeeded Sepp Blatter as president of Fifa i n February 2016 having previously served as Uefa’s general secretary for seven years, and the organisation has again given the 55-year-old its strong back. “Echoing the recent statements of Conmebol and Caf, as well as discussions with Fifa Member Associations and Confederations from around the world, Fifa will not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the Fifa President that is inconsistent with Fifa’s Statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework,” it said. “The Fifa President was democratically elected by Fifa’s Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate. Fifa’s management board backed Infantino at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday (Sam Corum/PA) (PA Wire) “It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its President. Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s Member Associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through Fifa’s established democratic processes. “Recent reporting has included unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims concerning Fifa and its President. Speculation and insinuation should not be presented as fact, and repetition does not make an allegation true. “The Fifa President has dedicated more than 30 years of his professional life to European and world football, contributing to significant change in the game and, in particular, to broadening access, resources and opportunity across world football. Change inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of Fifa’s President or the institution he was elected to lead. “Fifa welcomes legitimate scrutiny. But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress. Where reporting is inaccurate or misleading, Fifa will challenge it directly and vigorously. “Fifa’s responsibility is to its 211 Member Associations and to football around the world. We will not be distracted or diverted from strengthening the organisation, delivering for our Member Associations and continuing the work of making football truly global. Through the FIfa President and the Fifa administration, our focus remains firmly on that mission, and we are more determined than ever to fulfil it.” Uefa has said that its threat to boycott remains in place despite the abandonment of the sell-off plans. Fifa’s management board backed Infantino at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.