Fifa president Infantino could pull off ‘Houdini’ act as critics struggle for candidate

Gianni Infantino could survive weeks of criticism and secure re-election as Fifa president in the absence of a heavy hitter to challenge him, observers have said.

The 56-year-old Swiss has lost the support of many associations in his bid to be re-elected to a fourth and final term since he launched and then hastily shelved his plan to allow private investment into the World Cup.

Infantino, though, does crucially retain his core support in Africa and South America.

His Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which came to light in July just after the hugely successful World Cup, would have created a commercial subsidiary to run Fifa’s biggest events, such as the World Cup.