Fifa vice-president Sandor Csanyi withdraws support for Gianni Infantino
Hungarian football federation chief criticises president's professional judgment and leadership in explosive letter
Quick Look
Hungarian football federation chief Sandor Csanyi has withdrawn support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino, citing poor leadership, ethical standards, and the sacking of chief operating officer Kevin Lamour.
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Why It Matters
Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was sacked after criticizing Gianni Infantino's plans to sell off World Cup shares.
Gianni Infantino has lost the support of another one of Fifa’s vice-presidents, with the Hungarian football federation chief, Sandor Csanyi, criticising the president’s “professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership”.
In an explosive letter sent to Infantino on Tuesday, which was first obtained by the news agency Agence France-Presse, Csanyi states that he has “lost the confidence I previously placed in you” and describes the “unexpected dismissal” of Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, as the “final straw”.
Lamour was sacked by Fifa on Monday after breaking ranks last month by criticising Infantino over his aborted plan to sell off shares in the World Cup to private investors.
Csanyi’s letter continues the trend of senior global football figures deserting Infantino, with the Hungarian banker the fifth of Fifa’s eight vice-presidents to call for him to stand down.
The Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, Victor Montagliani of Concacaf – the North and Central American and Caribbean Confederation – and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of the Asian Football Confederation have all made their positions clear, as has the Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt.
Of the Fifa vice-presidents, only Alejandro Domínguez of South America’s Conmebol, Patrick Motsepe of the Confederation of African Football and Oceania’s Lambert Maltock are supporting Infantino.
Csanyi is also a member of the 37-strong Fifa council, which is theoretically its main decision-making body, but has been repeatedly overlooked by Infantino.
“My conviction that you are capable of continuing to lead Fifa successfully and effectively in accordance with the shared values that previously formed the basis of our cooperation has been undermined,” Csanyi wrote. “The final straw was the unexpected dismissal of Kevin Lamour.”
The letter also cited “a number of controversial decisions” at this year’s World Cup, including Infantino’s involvement in “plans to outsource Fifa competitions and place them in the hands of external parties”.
Open Questions
- Will other Fifa council members call for Infantino to step down?
- How will Infantino respond to the loss of vice-presidential support?
