South American Football Bodies Rally Behind Infantino Amid FIFA Crisis

Bogota: FIFA president Gianni Infantino found solid support among South American football leaders on Friday during a visit to Colombia, even as the world governing body continues to weather backlash over a now-scrapped plan to bring private investment into the World Cup.

Infantino touched down in Cali early Friday to attend the inauguration of Colombia's incoming hard-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella. Images shared by the Colombian Football Federation captured him in good spirits alongside South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez and Colombian federation chief Ramon Jesurun.

The trip unfolds against the backdrop of mounting criticism facing the 56-year-old Italian-Swiss lawyer, who has led FIFA since 2016. When an AFP reporter asked whether he believed the organisation's troubles were behind it, Infantino declined to respond.

CONMEBOL voices support despite reservations

Infantino, who is set to contest a fourth and final term as FIFA president in elections scheduled for Rabat next March, continues to face pushback, most notably from UEFA, which reaffirmed on Thursday that it may boycott the World Cup despite FIFA scrapping the contested investment scheme.

CONMEBOL, representing just 10 FIFA member federations but counting football powerhouses Argentina and Brazil among them, had voiced unease on Thursday over what it called FIFA's pattern of unilateral decision-making. Yet speaking to Colombian media on Friday, Dominguez struck a more conciliatory note, acknowledging the substantial work Infantino has carried out and stressing that dialogue, not constant agreement, should guide football's path forward.

Backing extends across the region

Infantino's support base widened further Friday with endorsements from the Venezuelan and Ecuadorian football federations, adding to backing already expressed by Argentina's AFA and Paraguay's federation a day earlier. Echoing CONMEBOL's stance, both federations welcomed FIFA's decision to abandon the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which would have opened a commercial entity to private investors.

Ecuadorian federation president Francisco Egas Larreategui wrote to Infantino expressing confidence in his leadership and in those currently steering the sport, saying he trusted their commitment to football's broader interests.

Infantino, known for his ties to right-leaning political figures including US President Donald Trump, went on to attend De la Espriella's inauguration later Friday. Breaking from convention, Colombia's president-elect opted to hold the ceremony in Cali — widely regarded as the country's salsa capital — rather than in the customary setting of Congress in Bogota.