In the FIFA power struggle, the fronts remain unchanged – Infantino apologizes and lets his opponents go to waste.

In the FIFA power struggle the fronts remain unchanged – Infantino apologizes and lets his opponents go empty-handed The Fifa Council met for the first time since the dispute over the presidency began. Infantino's proposal to distribute more money is accepted. Does a nasty exchange take place? That was the question before the meeting of the Fifa Council on Thursday at the Home of Fifa in Zurich. The leadership body of the World Football Federation met in person for the first time since FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plans to sell some of the broadcasting rights to private investors stirred up the European football world. The meeting lasted three and a half hours, which probably did little to resolve the dispute between Infantino and his opponents. "One of the disappointments was that we did not receive answers to any of our concrete requests – such as the request for access to FIFA documents," said Debbie Hewitt, president of the English association (FA), to the BBC immediately after the meeting. Infantino gives no answers Infantino's entanglement in connection with the failed establishment of the company Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), which was intended to be a vehicle for private investors, was an item on the agenda. The alliance of Infantino's opponents from the European football association (UEFA) as well as representatives of CONCACAF, the umbrella body of North and Central America, and the African Football Confederation (AFC) had demanded that Infantino make all the documents of the investor deal available to the 37-member Council. Infantino reportedly only repeated his verbal apology, which he had already expressed after the withdrawal of the investor plans. Hewitt then said: "The man must answer our written requests. If he does not answer them now, he is unsuitable as president – and that is exactly what was expressed in the meeting." Bernd Neuendorf, the president of the German Football Association (DFB), also expressed: "We asked many critical questions, and in my view, there were no satisfactory answers." There was no statement from UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin at first. The spokesman for Infantino's opponents left the Home of Fifa in a darkened limousine, according to the German Press Agency. Infantino apparently let his opponents go empty-handed, the fronts remain unchanged. Čeferin, Victor Montagliani and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa – the respective presidents of UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC – want a new leadership. The mood is different, for example, in Africa. Recently, the African Confederation (CAF) decided to support Infantino "closed and unanimously" with its national associations. "There is no ban on nominating candidates," said the Mauritanian Council member Ahmed Yahya. "The deadlines are set. We have until November 18th to see if there is a candidate or not. As we see, the majority of associations and confederations worldwide, as well as the confederations, support President Gianni Infantino." National associations receive much more Fifa money Shortly before the Council meeting, Infantino put forward the proposal to increase the subsidies to all 211 eligible national football associations from around 10 to about 25 million dollars. No one voted for it. This meets the demands of the critics to give part of the FIFA reserves, estimated at 6 billion dollars, to the national associations. A maneuver that should benefit Infantino and not his opponents. The new regulation on the punishment of red cards was rejected at the meeting. The background was the case of Balogun, when the American striker was released from suspension at the World Cup. Donald Trump had requested this by phone call. The question of what will happen with Infantino's peace prize was postponed to the next meeting on December 16th. In the fight for the FIFA presidency at the delegate meeting on March 18th, it will be decisive whether Čeferin and his allies can nominate a viable alternative candidate. Arsène Wenger or Luis Figo are names that are repeatedly mentioned. It is said by UEFA circles that one should wait until just before November 18th to announce, if it does not succeed, the way is open for Infantino.