Infantino attends Under-20 Women’s World Cup amid FIFA scrutiny

Gianni Infantino appeared in the stands in Poland on Saturday, speaking with Polish Football Association President Cezary Kulesza as the host nation played Argentina on the opening day of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup. His appearance came as pressure continued over a controversial FIFA proposal that has now been abandoned.

Infantino has largely remained out of the spotlight in recent weeks after his plan to sell future World Cup revenue met strong opposition from FIFA member associations and some senior officials. European nations make up a quarter of the tournament’s 24 teams, and they dropped a threat to boycott the competition last week after FIFA assured them the proposal would not be revived.

Legal action over the original plan is still continuing. UEFA has taken a leading role in efforts to remove Infantino ahead of next year’s FIFA election and is seeking evidence linked to the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. In a court filing on Thursday, FIFA accused UEFA of running a “smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership.”

The proposal angered football leaders worldwide after The Times of London revealed it in July, shortly after the World Cup ended. It involved creating a $20 billion subsidiary to control FIFA’s commercial rights, including World Cup rights. Investors led by a New York fund created by Joshua Kushner were expected to own 20 percent.

The initial funding plan would have financed offers of $20 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member federations, with a mid-September deadline to accept. Infantino abandoned the proposal within four days. UEFA had received support from the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, while senior FIFA officials also criticized the plan.

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smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership