According to Bild, Hans-Joachim Watzke, vice president of the German Football Association, member of the UEFA Executive Committee, and league president, launched a fierce attack on FIFA president Gianni Infantino: Watzke unusually demanded that the Infantino era end as soon as possible.
“These three things that happened are outrageous,” Watzke said Thursday at the BIG BANG AI Festival in Berlin. “He should step down, without any excuses.”
Watzke listed three major mistakes made by Infantino: FIFA's awarding of the Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump was entirely the FIFA president's own idea and decision. "You can't just make something up and then announce it; that's insane."
Watzke continued, "Then there's the Balogun thing. This shouldn't have happened. Someone was sent off with a red card, and the head of state called the FIFA president, and surprisingly, it was immediately overturned. It's insane." American striker Balogun received a red card at the World Cup, and after Trump called Infantino, Balogun's suspension for the round of 16 match against Belgium was overturned.
The third mistake was Infantino's failed investor deal. "It was utterly insane. Nobody knew about it, not even his deputies at FIFA, not even the Council," Watzke said. The World Cup "runs perfectly smoothly. Why would you need investors? FIFA has a huge gold mine that already belongs to our national associations. What's the point of having investors? If everything is running well, why would I give them 20% or 30%?"
Gianni Infantino had planned to sell 20% of the commercial rights to FIFA events, including the Men's and Women's World Cups and the Club World Cup, to an American investor for $20 billion. The FIFA Council, including German Football Association President Bernd Neuendorf (65), was not informed of this. The continental football federations from Europe (UEFA), North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and Asia (AFC) blocked the sale, threatening to boycott the World Cup if they refused, ultimately forcing Infantino to withdraw his plans.
A week ago, when Watzke was asked on German radio whether he thought Infantino would resign voluntarily, he gave a relatively restrained answer: "I at least think it's possible." But after the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Thessaloniki on Tuesday, his attitude has changed: the three incidents are "too much, so Infantino is better off leaving now."
Gianni Infantino, who has served as FIFA president since 2016, still intends to run for re-election at the congress in Rabat, Morocco in March 2027, despite global opposition, and seek a second term until 2031. UEFA has announced that it will nominate a rival candidate before the registration deadline of November 18. Furthermore, UEFA is considering criminal charges against Infantino for alleged breach of trust or improper gain in Switzerland. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice has also intervened to preserve all documents and materials related to this investor transaction.
