Arabic version: دور إنفانتينو يواجه تدقيقاً جديداً بعد خطة الاستثمار
According to BBC News, Gianni Infantino travelled to Bogota on Friday to attend the inauguration of Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella. The Fifa president was greeted on the runway by Colombian Football Federation president Ramon Jesurun and was accompanied by Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez.
The visit underlines the international travel and political relationship-building expected of the head of world football’s governing body. Infantino is required to visit Fifa’s 211 member nations and attend confederation meetings and global tournaments. He has also used a Qatar Airways Executive jet made available to him, allowing him to take up to three flights a day during the 2026 World Cup.
His position has come under renewed pressure following the aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, which involved selling a 21% stake in Fifa’s commercial and ticketing business to a private equity firm. Infantino apologised for the proposal and said Fifa would no longer tolerate attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process. Uefa’s threat to boycott Fifa tournaments remains in place, with the Under-20 World Cup in Poland due to start in 29 days.
Infantino’s relationship with US President Donald Trump has also drawn criticism within world football. Uefa accused him of prioritising private political interests after he arrived two hours late for the Fifa Congress in Paraguay in May 2025 following a Middle East diplomatic tour with Trump. Infantino has held only two open news conferences in the past four years, both before World Cups, and otherwise generally appears in Fifa-produced interviews.
Despite the controversy, Infantino retains significant support beyond Europe, helped by record revenues and funding for member associations. Before the World Cup, 111 associations had declared support for him, enough to guarantee re-election. However, the failed private investment plan has made that outlook less certain, while Uefa sees the episode as an opportunity to push for him to step down.
