OffsAIde
·1 October 2026
Qatar veto and hesitant rivals leave Gianni Infantino far from beaten

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Yahoo sportsOffsAIde
·1 October 2026

Plans to back Asian confederation chief Salman bin-Ebrahim al-Khalifa as a challenger to FIFA president Gianni Infantino have been checked by a Qatari veto, a scenario that currently benefits the incumbent.
According to L'Équipe, the Bahraini was viewed as a plausible option for the next elective congress, but Qatar has, for now, blocked that route.
Opponents want to unseat Infantino yet remain unsure how to do it. A shelved summer proposal to sell part of FIFA's assets, including the World Cup, to private funds close to Donald Trump triggered a storm.
That backlash convinced UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin that swift action was required to bring the Italian-Swiss president's reign to an end.
For the moment, however, with Qatar resistant and potential rivals hesitant, Infantino looks far from beaten ahead of FIFA's next vote.
Source: L'Équipe
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