Infantino blames ‘fake news’ for FIFA woes, offers no cases
Gianni Infantino waged a strident defence of his FIFA leadership by lashing out at “fake news” and “alternative facts” circulated about a governing body he insists has recovered its reputation and can be trusted.
Addressing his second congress of football nations as FIFA president, Infantino yesterday invoked the rhetoric favoured by USA President Donald Trump to take on his critics by also lambasting experts who “miserably failed” and promoting his “football first” agenda. Infantino later acknowledged he could not support his “fake news” outburst with supporting facts.
He was under pressure at his second congress since replacing Sepp Blatter as world football’s leader in February 2016, with questions about the power he is exerting overshadowing the gathering.
FIFA’s top ethics officials - judge Hans-Joachim Eckert and prosecutor Cornel Borbely - were ousted by Infantino this week, and the disgruntled pair accused the president of jeopardizing the reform of the organization. Only pressure from criminal authorities forced FIFA to overhaul its structures to dilute the power of the presidency and show it can be trusted.
But Reinhard Grindel, a member of Infantino’s ruling council, criticized the way FIFA’s ethics and reform leadership was abruptly replaced this week, and said the process should have been “more transparent.”
“This is certainly not how we should make such sensitive decisions in the future,” said Grindel, the German federation president.
The Jordanian federation head also accused Infantino of acting undemocratically when he blocked delegates from having a say on the dispute between the Palestinian and Israeli federations. It will be dealt with in secret by the FIFA Council headed by Infantino.
Infantino, though, blamed troublemakers for distorting coverage of his progress in repairing the scandal-battered organization. “Sadly, the truth is not what is necessarily true but what people believe is true,” Infantino told the congress.
“There is a lot of fake news and alternative facts about FIFA circulating. FIFA bashing has become a national sport in some countries.”
For Infantino, there is no doubt “crisis is over,” despite a Kuwaiti member of his council recently abandoning plans to seek re-election after being accused of bribery by American authorities.
FIFA first embarked on a reform mission in 2011 after election bribery allegations, but a deeper financial scandal exploded four years later with raids in Zurich and the arrest of soccer officials.
Expanding on the reform supervisors, Infantino said: “What did they do? They simply rubberstamped a sick and wrong system. It is not me saying it. It is the criminal courts saying it all over the world.”
FIFA has spent tens of millions of dollars on experts to protect its victim status in criminal investigations and reclaim cash from corrupt officials. Infantino issued a plea to officials still hoping to profit through bribery, embezzlement, and fraud.
“If there’s anyone in this room or outside of this room who still thinks he can enrich himself, that he can abuse football, I have one clear and strong message to tell him: Leave football and leave football now. We don’t want you.”
There was applause, and no sign of anyone leaving the room.
FIFA officials remain under criminal investigation in Switzerland and the United States. FIFA audit committee member Richard Lai, an American citizen from Guam, recently pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges related to taking around $1 million in bribes including at least $850,000 from Kuwaiti officials. The case implicated Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, the executive forced to scrap his council re-election bid.