Gianni Infantino said at the Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan that he had not considered resigning as FIFA president amid fallout over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise commercial-rights plan. The dispute concerns a proposal to sell part of FIFA's commercial rights to a private investment firm.
Infantino responds to resignation calls
Infantino dismissed suggestions that he should resign as FIFA president following turmoil over plans to sell off commercial rights. When asked in a rare interview if he had considered resigning, the FIFA chief laughed before defending his mandate.
He said: "Well you know I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world. I think what is important is that in an organisation like FIFA, there can be different views, different points of view. But if we are serious about democracy, about the democratic process, about believing that everyone has the same vote and the same voice all over the world, that football belongs to everyone, if we are serious about that, then we need, to respect as well the views of the vast, vast majority."
Abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan
The FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal involved selling a share of FIFA's commercial rights to a private investment firm. Infantino abandoned the project days after introducing it and later issued an apology regarding how the project was communicated and consulted upon.
Speaking from the Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan, Infantino acknowledged administrative missteps, referring to "some things which are maybe less good" and saying FIFA would act "as best we can".
Two months before publication, Infantino faced pressure from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation over the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative. According to GOAL, the confederation heads accused Infantino of 'deception' regarding the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.
UEFA document demand
UEFA gave FIFA a November 2 deadline to release all documentation related to the aborted plan. According to GOAL, during a recent FIFA Council meeting, members warned Infantino he would be unfit for office if he withheld the requested files.
When pressed on whether he would release the FIFA Forward Enterprise documents demanded by UEFA, Infantino said: "We'll answer of course all the questions that are asked as far as the process allows, as far as we can."
Election timeline and support claims
The deadline for rival candidates to declare their intention to stand in the March presidential election is November 18. According to GOAL, no challengers had stepped forward at the time of publication.
Infantino said: "I'm just coming back off Tokyo where the Asian Football Confederation has fully endorsed me. I was in Cape Verde where all African countries have endorsed me. I'm speaking to all associations everywhere in the world."
He also said: "There are different points of view it's not always easy to bring them all under one roof but we need to respect and I do respect all opinions all views and then it will be up to the FIFA member associations to decide who they want as a president and how they want FIFA to be run"
According to GOAL, Infantino has proposed a $3.4 billion (£2.6bn) funding increase for global football development.