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French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to derail the plan to privatize a portion of FIFA competitions, which was led by the institution's boss, Gianni Infantino, and which has already been abandoned.
According to the newspaper L'Équipe this Monday, the occupant of the Élysée Palace made several calls to seek support against a project he believes could go against the values of solidarity in football.
Macron's inner circle confirmed to L'Équipe that his opposition to this project is similar to the stance he took in 2021 against the Super League.
"He wants to preserve the unity of world football and avoid any lasting fracture between continents and confederations; it is his diplomatic role," indicated Élysée sources, justifying his interference in this sporting matter.
The French president showed his full support for UEFA leader Alexander Ceferin, who spearheaded the rejection of Infantino's project to open 20% of the sports activities organized by FIFA to private capital, with the goal of generating some 3.6 billion euros.
Macron, who considers FIFA's accounts to be healthy and believes its profits should be directed to the most disadvantaged countries, made several phone calls, including one to Ceferin, before UEFA's forceful statement against the project.
He also maintained contacts with the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), South African Patrice Motsepe, and with Infantino himself, according to L'Équipe.
The FIFA president's project, although officially abandoned on the 1st of this month, may have left a mark, as France is considering withdrawing its support for Infantino's re-election at the Congress that will take place next March in Morocco. EFE
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