November 17 – The German football federation (DFB) has said that it won’t back Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA president, repeating its demand that a compensation fund for migrant workers in Qatar be established.
On the eve of the World Cup, the DFB, one of the most powerful European football associations, has said that it will not ‘nominate a candidate for the FIFA presidency’, de facto refusing to support Infantino as he seeks a next term in office at Congress in Kigali in 2023.
In a statement, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said: “The fact is: many associations have already signalled their support for the incumbent President Gianni Infantino. Nevertheless, with this decision, we want to express that we would have liked FIFA to have made a clearer commitment to human rights and a greater commitment to humanitarian issues.
“The DFB expects transparent decision-making processes in FIFA and stands by its demands for the establishment of a compensation fund for the relatives of the workers who died or were injured on the World Cup construction sites. He continues to advocate for the establishment of a migrant working centre in Qatar.”
The DFB added that it will engage in “constructive dialogue” at Congress. The German FA’s decision will come as a mild blow to the FIFA president. Infantino is on course to get re-elected with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Conmebol, South America’s governing body, backing the incumbent. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have also expressed their support for Infantino.
In 2016, Infantino became FIFA president, defeating Sheikh Salman in the elections, following Sepp Blatter’s exit. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 for a full four-year term.
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