Infantino Attends Colombia President's Inauguration as UEFA Boycott Threat Looms 29 Days Before U-20 World Cup
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 7
Infantino Attends Colombia President's Inauguration as UEFA Boycott Threat Looms 29 Days Before U-20 World Cup
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 7
Summary
Bogota hosted Gianni Infantino on Friday as the FIFA president arrived with CONMEBOL chief Alejandro Dominguez to attend Abelardo de la Espriella's presidential inauguration.
The trip signals a return to public diplomacy after the collapse of FIFA Forward Enterprise, Infantino's plan to sell a 21% stake in FIFA's commercial and ticketing business to private equity.
UEFA's threat to boycott FIFA competitions still hangs over him, with that standoff set for an early test when the Under-20 World Cup opens in Poland in 29 days.
Infantino appears to be leaning on support beyond Europe, where critics say his political ties and governance style have become too hard to ignore despite strong backing from many member associations.
That wider struggle now centers on whether FIFA's global alliances can outweigh European pressure to force out a president once seen as secure enough to win another term.