Pressure is mounting on Gianni Infantino over the crisis surrounding a proposal to sell the commercial rights of world football's governing body. Yet the FIFA president emerged with a confident, sarcastic tone, insisting he enjoys the support of the "vast majority" of the football family. His stance reflects a determination to cling to his position despite the growing criticism.
Speaking in a rare interview with the BBC, Infantino refused to back down when questioned about his eligibility to remain in office or whether he was considering resignation. He leaned instead on the support he claims from member federations around the world.
The crisis erupted over FIFA's "FFE" projects initiative, which included a proposal to sell part of the governing body's commercial rights to a private investment company. Infantino cancelled the project just days after it was put forward.
Anger spread quickly. The presidents of the European, Asian and North and Central American and Caribbean confederations signed a letter accusing the FIFA president of breaching trust through "deception".
UEFA also demanded the disclosure of key documents related to the initiative by 2 November, insisting FIFA had not answered a number of fundamental questions.
Infantino had already faced sharp criticism over the handling of the matter at a previous FIFA Council meeting. He was told his continuation in office would be in doubt if he failed to provide the requested documents, including the justifications behind the initiative.
Even so, the FIFA president set no clear date for handing over the documents. He confirmed only that the matter is subject to a legal process and that his administration is working on providing the required answers. "We will certainly answer all the questions raised, within the limits of what the followed process allows and as far as we are able," he said.
He admitted FIFA had made some mistakes, pointing to the need for better communication and consultation with member federations. He also offered to engage in more regular dialogue with UEFA, hoping to contain the escalating dispute between the two parties.
Asked whether he remained eligible to lead FIFA and whether he had considered resigning, he laughed before replying: "I was elected by 211 member federations from all over the world."
Differences in opinion are natural, he added, but he stressed the need to respect the will of the majority. The member federations, he argued, have the final say on who leads the organisation and how it is run.
Infantino cites the Asian confederation
Infantino pointed to the support he said he received from the Asian Football Confederation during his visit to Tokyo, alongside the backing of the African federations.
He talks to federations across the world, he insisted, admitting that bringing differing points of view under one roof is not easy. Even so, he stressed respect for all opinions.
The crisis has not slowed him down. Infantino visited Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Cape Verde and Japan, tours that strengthened his position ahead of the FIFA presidential elections scheduled for next March.
He also proposed increasing the funding of football development programmes worldwide by about 3.4 billion dollars, a move that reflects his push to boost the development projects on which he relies to rally support.
The deadline for candidacy applications to challenge Infantino ends on 18 November, and no declared candidate has yet emerged to face him. That strengthens the likelihood of him running unopposed and closing in on a fourth term.
Infantino at the opening of the youth tournament
Infantino has arrived in the Azerbaijani capital Baku for the first edition of the FIFA Under-15 tournament and festival, featuring teams from 189 member federations.
Among the participants are teams representing England, Spain, France, Argentina and Brazil, alongside a Russian team appearing in a FIFA-approved tournament for the first time since Russian teams were suspended from international competitions in February 2022.
This year's edition is limited to boys, with next year's dedicated to girls. FIFA plans to hold the tournament annually with both genders from 2028. Matches are played eight-a-side on smaller pitches, over two halves of 20 minutes each.
Infantino said the tournament is a wonderful opportunity to bring together young people from across the world, expressing his hope that the players will remember in future that the first world tournament they played in was in Azerbaijan.