Infantino says he is backed by 'vast majority'

What the report says

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has played down renewed pressure on his leadership, telling BBC Sport in Baku that he has the support of the “vast, vast majority” of world football. Speaking at the Fifa Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan, he brushed aside questions about whether he had thought about resigning after the controversy over the proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise arrangement, which would have handed part of Fifa’s commercial rights to a private investment firm before it was quickly dropped.

The BBC report said Infantino’s comments come after weeks of criticism from senior football bodies. Leaders from Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf had accused him of breaking trust, and Uefa has also demanded release of key FFE documents. Infantino has apologised to the Fifa Council over the handling of communication and consultation, but he did not give a firm timetable for handing over the papers, saying the matter was subject to a legal process.

Infantino said disagreement was normal in a global organisation and argued that Fifa must respect different views while moving forward. He also pointed to backing from the Asian and African confederations and said dialogue with Uefa needed to improve. The article notes that no challengers had yet formally entered the race for the Fifa presidency ahead of the March election, leaving open the possibility that he could stand unopposed.