Infantino uses FIFA staff to lobby MAs for his March 2027 presidential re-election

July 15 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been using the governing body’s staff to lobby and pressure national associations in to sending letters of support for his own re-election to the presidency at the FIFA Congress on 18 March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco.

A number of national association presidents have told Insideworldfootball that they have been put under pressure by FIFA staff members to send nomination letters. They have even been sent examples of letters from FIFA staff with the wording they want to see supporting Infantino’s re-election.

The use of FIFA’s staff to lobby or campaign for presidential candidates is a clear breach of FIFA’s Governance Regulations and the FIFA Code of Ethics that requires political neutrality and that all officials and employees avoid leveraging FIFA resources or their positions to influence elections.

Using official staff time, travel, or organisational resources to lobby for a presidential candidate breaks the fundamental duty of loyalty to FIFA and institutional fairness. Anyone official or member of staff breaking the electoral code by lobbying or campaigning can face disciplinary action including fines, suspension or a complete ban from football activity.

The code covers a sitting president using staff resources for his own election campaign and using the weight of his presidential power to win votes.

An example of a letter of support that has been used by FIFA staff is the one pictured from Nigeria that was signed at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on April 30.

As well as proposing Infantino’s candidacy the letter goes on to say: “Furthermore, we would like to clarify that the Nigeria Football Federation exclusively supports Mr. Gianni Infantino for the position of FIFA President and, therefore, will not sign any other declaration of support in favor of any other candidate for this position.”

The letter was signed on the day that Infantino announced his candidacy at the FIFA Congress. There had been no declaration of another candidate for the presidency, and there still hasn’t been a declaration to rival Infantino.

During and since the Vancouver conference FIFA’s staff has been lobbying hard and, according to one FA president, “incessantly” for letters of support.

The lobbying has continued throughout the current World Cup where FIFA has invited member association presidents and their guests to attend matches.

The lobbying of nations began with Africa’s member associations – traditionally Infantino’s core support base – before turning to Concacaf’s Caribbean and Central American nations with support from their regional associations.

As the World Cup has progressed and FIFA’s integrity failures have received global condemnation, in particular around US president Donald Trump’s influence in the Balogun red card incident, federations have increasingly distanced themselves from overt support of Infantino.

A number of federations – including the usually high and mighty English FA when it comes to governance issues at FIFA level – have come under pressure to withdraw their declarations of support.

There have also been rumours that there could be a credible candidate to challenge Infantino, though who that candidate could be is currently shrouded in mystery.

The letters of support that have been signed are not binding, and have been signed before voters could assess any challengers candidacy. Infantino’s indiscretions make it very easy for national associations to withdraw support, with some of them feeling pressure from their own national governments who support their game domestically to do so.

Infantino is facing multiple challenges to his authority from outside FIFA’s protective walls, the latest being a complaint filed with the IOC that he has broken the Olympic Charter.

In 2015 Michel Platini was suspended from running for the FIFA presidency by FIFA’s Ethics body for an alleged offence that he was subsequently cleared of three times over 10 years. Infantino stood in as a ‘place filler’ for Platini back then and went on to win the election.

Logic and the following of the same rules that applied to Platini, would suggest that Infantino should be stood down while a full investigation is carried out into his conduct by FIFA’s Ethics committee. If the breaking of FIFA’s electoral code is made part of that investigation then for FIFA to maintain any vestige of ethical integrity, Infantino would surely have to be suspended.

FIFA cynics and critics point to the old adage that there are ‘two hopes’ of that happening; Bob and No.

But the universally condemned cosying up to Donald Trump, the award of the FIFA Peace Prize, the Balogun red card fiasco (probably the biggest scandal to ever impact a World Cup finals while in play), and the total disregard of FIFA’s own statutes and electoral code, could be the final straws that break FIFA’s member association support for its increasingly isolated leader.

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