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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has laughed off questions about whether he was considering stepping down following the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) bid, pointing to overwhelming support from member associations around the world.
Infantino now finds himself in a position of strength, three months after he faced calls to resign after rejecting a bid seeking private investment in a new body to oversee commercial rights linked to major FIFA competitions.
His re-election prospects were boosted on Friday after Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said Asia was united behind Infantino and endorsed him for a fourth term.
“I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world. I think the important thing is that in an organization like FIFA, there can be different views, different views,” Infantino told the BBC when asked if he was considering resigning.
“But if we’re serious about democracy, the democratic process, the belief that everyone has the same voice and the same voice all over the world, that football belongs to everyone… then we have to respect the views of the vast, vast majority.
“I’ve just come back from Tokyo where the Asian Football Confederation fully supported me. I was in Cape Verde where all the African countries supported me. I’m talking to all the associations around the world.”
The AFC had previously joined UEFA and CONCACAF, the European body representing North and Central America and the Caribbean, in criticizing the FFE proposal.
But the turn of a divided CONCACAF and AFC has increasingly isolated Europe while exposing the lack of a suitable alternative candidate for the FIFA presidency.
Infantino is seeking a fourth term through 2031, and potential candidates have until Nov. 18 to file their nominations.
He apologized for how the FFE’s proposal was handled at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich last week, but it did not affect European football associations such as Germany and England.
However, the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian administrator added: “It’s fine to disagree, but we have to be able to move on from now on.
“There are different points of view. It’s not always easy to gather them all under one roof, but we have to respect and I respect all opinions, all views,” Infantino added.
“Then the FIFA member associations will decide who they want to be president and how FIFA should be run.”