A petition demanding Fifa Chief Gianni Infantino's resignation has been launched
The movement, launched on Thursday with the hashtag #InfantinoOut, also calls for a significant overhaul of FIFA's administration
XtraTime Newsweek: Following uproar over his alleged plan to give future World Cup income to private investors, football supporters' groups from around the world have banded together to seek FIFA president Gianni Infantino's resignation.
The movement, launched on Thursday with the hashtag #InfantinoOut, also calls for a significant overhaul of FIFA's administration, stating that the organization must be rebuilt to prevent such issues from arising again.
"The shameful attempt by one individual - the FIFA President himself - to sell off the World Cup to private investors exposed a betrayal football will never forget," the petition said about Infantino's plan for a commercial spinoff.
The main drivers of this are Football Supporters Europe, Football Supporters Africa and the Independent Supporters Council in North America and have been joined by roughly 40 national supporters' organisations.
Despite rising internal criticism, Infantino has yet to resign. The European regulatory body UEFA has already stated that it no longer believes in the FIFA president, while officials from CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have also expressed doubts about his leadership.
"Gianni Infantino has demonstrated a profound failure of leadership, incompatible with democratic governance," the fan petition states. "The concentration of power around the FIFA Presidency, combined with opaque decision-making, personality cult clientelism, and zero accountability has destroyed any remaining trust in the world governing body."
"For the credibility of FIFA - and for the future of the game - he must resign," the petition adds.
The supporters' campaign highlights a number of other moves made by Infantino that have elicited criticism from fans. These include his support for the planned European Super League and his efforts to bring a World Cup every two years, both of which have sparked intense opposition from various elements of the football world.