Fifa president Gianni Infantino insists he has the support of “the biggest, biggest” in world football, as he laughed off questions about whether he should resign over the World Cup sales debacle.
In a rare interview, he struck a defiant tone to BBC Sport about his position in the fall of the controversial Fifa Initiative (FFE), and said it is not always easy to bring different parties “under one roof”.
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“There is nothing wrong,” he said. “We see it every day in so many countries in the world. It’s okay to disagree. It’s okay to have different opinions, but we need to move.”
Two months ago, Infantino in the station to step up calls to step down as president of the organization he has led since 2016.
The heads of European football’s governing body Uefa, the Asian confederation and Concacaf, which runs the game in North and Central America, signed a letter accusing the Fifa president of trust “by deception”.
Last week, Uefa demanded that Fifa release all key documents that had been sent to the FFE since November 2, with Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoris stating that the organization had been unable to address “a number of fundamental issues”.
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Under the FFE, which Infantino scrapped within days, a portion of the world governing body’s commercial rights would have been sold to a private investment firm.
Since the delivery of the letter, Infantino has traveled the world, appearing in Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Cape Verde, and Japan, raising support until the re-election of the president for a fourth term next year looks necessary.
He also proposed to increase the amount of money spent on developing the world by $3.4bn (£2.6bn).
Fifa has done some things, maybe less good.
In the interview, he reflected that he was “fully encouraged” by the Asian Confederation itself – following a U-turn by its president Sheikh Salman – and having the support of “all African countries”.
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But only last week the Fifa Council apologized over “communication and consultation” about the FFE.
He was told by the members of the Council in that meeting that he was not “fit to be FIFA president” if he did not provide the documents they requested, including the FFE account.
However, when pressed to provide the requested papers, he did not give a clear answer, saying that he was “following the legal process” and “working on it”.
“We will of course answer all questions as far as the process allows, as much as we can,” he said.
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Speaking from the first Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan, he said that he and the Fifa administration were doing “as well as we can” but admitted that they had done “some things that are maybe less good”.
He also said that he should have dialogue with Uefa “more often” in an attempt to repair their strained relationship.
Asked by the BBC if he was fit to be Fifa president, and if he had considered standing, he laughed, before saying: “Well you know I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world.
“I think what is important is that in an organization like Fifa there can be different opinions, different considerations.
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“But if we are serious about democracy, about the democratic process, about believing that everyone has the same vote and the same voice in the whole world, that trigger belongs to everyone, if we are more serious about that, then we need to respect the important opinions, the most important part.
“I just came back to Tokyo where the Asian Football Confederation fully approved me. I was in Cape Verde where everyone [Confederation of] African [Football] I liked the nations. I’m talking about all companies all over the world.
He continued: “There are different opinions, it’s not always easy to receive them all under one roof, but we must respect and respect all the opinions of all opinions and then it will be up to the Member of the Fifa society to decide who they want as president and how they want to run Fifa”.
Candidates notified to confirm that they stand against Infantin for the election in March is November 18 – although no one has yet filed and they cannot stand.
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England among the teams at the U15 World Cup
Infantino arrives in Baku on Friday for the Fifa Under-15 World Cup and Festival, which will be held in Azerbaijan and film teams of 189 member associations.
England, Spain, France, Argentina and Brazil are all involved. The Russians also sent a team, marking the country’s first appearance in a Fifa-sanctioned tournament by world governing body Uefa, which suspended Russian teams from international competition in February 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.
This tournament is only for boys, while last year’s tournament was only for girls, and then from 2028 Fifa’s plan is to have boys and girls compete in the tournament every year.
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Matches are played in 8v8 format, in smaller pitches and with 20-minute halves.
“It’s a beautiful way to make the world at such a young age to create something like this,” Infantino said.
“When some of these boys participate in the World Cup in 10 years, and 20 years from now, everyone will remember that it was their first World Cup here.”