The US may be out of the World Cup, but that by no means ends the Folarin Balogun controversy, which will have long-lasting implications for FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
It was his phone call with President Donald Trump that caused this storm. There has been a huge pushback from footballing associations and media alike, with many believing Trump’s influence over Infantino is what resulted in such a kind sentence for Balogun.
And it appears that backlash has seeped into the FIFA organisation itself. Infantino’s job isn’t at risk, but his credibility has taken a significant hit.
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FIFA have hit the defender with a two-match ban for his red card against Mexico…
Gianni Infantino facing future as a “lame-duck FIFA president”
The FIFA boss still denies any accusations of interference in the decision-making process for Balogun’s ban, but it isn’t doing much to win back favor.
According to The Times, Infantino has lost trust within the organisation and with the countries he works with. This outcome for Balogun did not seem fair at the time, and time hasn’t shed a kinder light on it.
Moving forward, Infantino is “expected to survive” the scandal and run for re-election unopposed next year, but he is unlikely to get the support needed to implement most of “his main aims”, including expansion of the Club World Cup.
He “can also forget” thoughts of changing FIFA’s statutes to allow him to run for a third term in 2031.
One senior source speaking to The Times said: ““Political interference in football doesn’t get any stronger than what Trump has done, and FIFA’s attempts at an explanation have been ludicrous.
“Infantino’s power has dried up, he is very isolated now — he will be a lame-duck president.”
This is a serious matter, which makes the news somewhat surprising. If Infantino’s behaviour is so out of line that his power will be stripped back, then why not replace him next year?
Maybe it’s that FIFA are all about public relations, and to remove him from his position would be a blatant admission of wrongdoing. Whatever the case, it sounds like Infantino will be there for the next World Cup.
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