UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign over his controversial proposal to sell stakes in the FIFA World Cup to a private equity group.
Burnham’s comments come as Infantino faces mounting opposition from across world football. UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have all rejected the proposal, while UEFA’s 55 member associations have agreed to boycott FIFA competitions for as long as the plan remains under consideration.
If the boycott is enforced, leading football nations including England, Germany, France and reigning world champions Spain would not take part in either the men’s or women’s FIFA World Cup while the proposal remains active.
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Speaking on Friday, Burnham described the plan as “an outrageous suggestion” and questioned Infantino’s leadership of world football.
“My view is strengthening, this was an outrageous suggestion,” Burnham said. “The idea that it could even be brought forward, in my view, shows that the FIFA president is the wrong man to lead the organisation.”
The Labour leader, who became UK prime minister just over two weeks ago, is the first leader of a major country to publicly call for Infantino’s resignation over the proposal.
Burnham, a lifelong Everton supporter, had earlier criticised the plan on social media, insisting that football belongs to supporters rather than investors.
His intervention follows the resignation of senior FIFA adviser and former US Soccer president, Carlos Cordeiro, who stepped down in protest, saying he could not support any move to sell a stake in the World Cup and had no involvement in the proposal.
