With the start of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, there are doubts about Infantino’s presence
Around 15,000 people will attend the two matches of the U-20 Women’s World Cup tomorrow, Saturday, but it is not yet known whether FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be among those in attendance.
The tournament, which runs until September 27 in Poland, is the first major competition organized by FIFA, which could be hit by an administrative crisis following Infantino’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino withdrew the proposal on 31 July after strong opposition from UEFA and other stakeholders.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise plan involved the transfer of commercial rights to FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup, to a new subsidiary, with private investors paying around $4.2 billion for a stake worth $20 billion.
The 56-year-old Swiss official has since faced calls from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF) to step down, even though he said he would seek a fourth term at FIFA’s general assembly in March 2027.
No rivals have yet officially announced their candidacy, but UEFA has said it will work with other continental confederations to ensure an alternative that member confederations can trust.
An important developmental tournament
The U-20 Women’s World Cup is an important tournament for the development of women’s football and many of its players hope to eventually take part in next year’s senior Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
On the opening day, hosts Poland face Argentina, before Mexico face Benin, with both matches taking place in Katowice.
FIFA could not confirm until Friday whether Infantino would attend the opening two matches.
Although he did not always attend the opening matches of age-group tournaments organized by FIFA, Infantino remained steadfast after the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal collapsed.
He attended the closing ceremony of the E-Sports World Championships in Paris last month and watched Vietnam win the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Championship title in Hanoi at the expense of Thailand three days later.
He also visited the Dominican Republic during the Caribbean Under-14 Confederations Cup, although CONCACAF president Victor Montalian asked him not to, arguing that the controversy surrounding the FIFA president could overshadow the youth event.
Montaliani’s name has been floated as a potential challenger to Infantino, but he has yet to announce his candidacy and the deadline to do so is November 18.