German minister calls for resignation of FIFA president Infantino

German Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has become the first member of the federal government to call for the resignation of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“Infantino has seriously damaged world football with his planned sell-off of the World Cup,” he told dpa on Saturday.

“He has lost the trust of the European football community and should not stand for re-election next year.”

Infantino has been under fire since he unveiled plans worth billions to sell World Cup rights to private investors last week. Following major protests, including UEFA’s threat of a World Cup boycott, the FIFA boss withdrew the proposal.

Other FAs and confederations also rejected the plans and Jordan FA president, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, said on Tuesday that they had been blackmailed when being told by FIFA they would only receive money owed to them if he voted for Infantino at next year’s election.

Despite the immense pressure, Infantino has no intention of stepping down.

“Football is a cultural asset for everyone, not a commodity for speculation by a select few,” Weimer said.

“It’s not a cheap commodity, but rather a valuable asset, a democratic public and cultural good based on openness, participation, respect, and fairness. The participation of everyone is part of football’s integrity, not the profits of a few. Ticket prices and the cost of jerseys are already too high.”

He called on the German Football Federation (DFB) to show “active resistance” against Infantino.

“With its 24,000 clubs and eight million members, the DFB is the largest sports federation in the world (by individual registered members). Its voice carries weight.”

Source: dpa