Growing opposition to Infantino and developments in European and German football

The opposition front against FIFA President Gianni Infantino is expanding, and this time the voice came from Greece, which clearly announced the withdrawal of its support for his candidacy for a new term at the helm of FIFA.

President of the Greek Federation, Makis Gagatsis, said, after the European Union Executive Committee meeting in Thessaloniki, that his country had taken a clear position against Infantino’s candidacy, pointing to events that took place at the World Cup and were not, according to his description, acceptable to football public opinion.

But the biggest dispute erupted over Infantino’s project to sell a commercial stake linked to FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors. This plan sparked widespread opposition before FIFA retracted it and apologized for the errors that accompanied it.

The Greek position reinforces UEFA’s move to demand a change in FIFA’s leadership, after several European federations, including France, withdrew their support for Infantino. The AFC and CONCACAF also joined the calls for change.

But bringing down Infantino will not be easy; According to Reuters, he still enjoys strong support in Africa, South America and Oceania, and currently has enough votes to win a new term.

As the March 2027 elections approach, the question remains: Will Europe succeed in finding a competitor capable of turning the wave of anger into an actual end to the Infantino era?

Jose Alberto, coach of Racing Santander, is aware of the difficulty of the task that awaits his team when it faces Barcelona, ​​on Wednesday, at Camp Nou, the stronghold of the Catalan team.

Alberto said in a press conference on Tuesday: “Playing such matches is a dream for all of us.”

He added: “We realize the difficulty of the task in light of Barcelona’s awakening and state, but we will try to perform with courage and boldness while anticipating difficult moments and suffering, but the match will be a good opportunity for us to perform well.”

Camp Nou Stadium was chosen to host the Champions League final in 2029, 30 years after the last time the Catalan city hosted this major European meeting.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick commented: “This is happy news for the club. Camp Nou will be an amazing stadium after the renovation work is completed.”

News reports said on Tuesday that young striker Saeed Al-Mulla may make his debut with the German national team within Jurgen Klopp's first squad, while veteran goalkeeper Oliver Baumann will not join.

Kicker sports magazine said that Al-Mulla, who is of Lebanese origin, will be among the players that Klopp will nominate on Thursday to participate in the European Nations League matches against the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece (twice) in the period between September 24 and October 4.

Al-Mulla, a 20-year-old Cologne player, was among the national team’s squad in two World Cup qualifiers last fall under the leadership of former coach Julian Nagelsmann, but he was excluded after the first match, and was not included in the World Cup either.

As for Baumann (36 years old), he participated in all the qualifying matches and two friendly matches in March due to the injury of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but he was only the second choice in the World Cup after Manuel Neuer returned from retirement to participate in the tournament.

Bild newspaper reported that Klopp, who succeeded Nagelsmann after his team was eliminated in the round of 32 in the World Cup, would not include Baumann, the Hoffenheim goalkeeper, in his roster.