FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he has a “clear conscience” and is prepared to answer questions about his leadership as criticism grows ahead of the 2027 FIFA Presidential Election.
Speaking during a visit to the Dominican Republic, Infantino acknowledged the controversy surrounding his presidency and said he was ready to respond to issues raised in the media.
The scrutiny follows the withdrawal of a commercial proposal, the departure of senior officials and continuing concerns about FIFA’s governance.
“A lot has been happening in the last few weeks, and it’s important that you hear, you listen, and you’re able to also express what your feelings are,” he said in an interview published by FIFA.
“Some questions that are coming are obvious in view of what is out there in the media. The important thing is that we can, of course, with clear conscience, answer all the questions in the right way.”
The criticism intensified after FIFA withdrew its FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have involved outside investment in part of the organisation’s commercial operations.
Senior officials from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf raised concerns about the proposal’s governance, consultation process and transparency.
Several senior executives have since left FIFA, including Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who had challenged the project before departing earlier this month.
The circumstances surrounding those departures have contributed to questions about internal divisions, although FIFA has not publicly attributed them to a broader dispute over Infantino’s leadership.
During his visit, Infantino highlighted FIFA’s development programmes, which have been a central feature of his presidency.
“I think that, whether it’s in Africa or in Asia or the Caribbean, everyone acknowledges and accepts and respects the transformative work that we have been doing all together in the last ten years,” he said.
“We have transformed FIFA, made it to what it is, and it is important that we always remember.”
Infantino said FIFA’s role was to expand football beyond its traditional centres and provide regional associations with resources to organise competitions.
“We are here with one job. To grow football in every corner of the world. This is our task, this is our job,” he said.
“Our job is to help to find that money so that more girls and more boys can enjoy football. We need these resources, sponsors, broadcasters, whatever we can do and have in order to reinvest 100% of what we generate back into the game.”
FIFA Forward funding supports infrastructure, competitions and federation programmes in member associations, including in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
The programme has also become relevant to the political dynamics surrounding the 2027 election because each FIFA member association has one vote at the FIFA Congress, regardless of its size or footballing influence.
Infantino has faced criticism from some influential administrators, but he continues to emphasise FIFA’s development spending and its benefits to smaller and developing associations.
That support is widely viewed as an important part of his political position ahead of the election, although the extent of his backing will become clearer as the campaign develops.
Infantino’s comments in the Dominican Republic set out the defence of his record; he argued that FIFA has been transformed during his tenure and that development funding has expanded the organisation’s impact.
The extent to which that argument addresses concerns about governance, commercial decision-making and senior departures is likely to remain a central issue before 2027.
