Fifa Crisis Deepens as Hungarian Official Withdraws Support for Gianni Infantino's Re-election Bid

Fifa faces a mounting governance crisis as more football federations and officials withdraw their support for president Gianni Infantino. The turmoil intensified following the departure of chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, which a key vice-president labeled the “final straw.”

Fifa confirmed that Kevin Lamour left the organisation just weeks after publicly criticising Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup and other major tournaments. This prompted Sandor Csanyi of Hungary, a Fifa vice-president and Fifa Council member, to withdraw his backing for Gianni Infantino's bid for a fourth term.

In a letter to Gianni Infantino, Sandor Csanyi described the unexpected dismissal of Kevin Lamour as the final straw, praising Lamour for performing his duties to a high professional and ethical standard. Sandor Csanyi argued that the firing pointed to serious shortcomings in professional judgement, ethical standards, and leadership.

The controversy adds pressure to Gianni Infantino ahead of his re-election bid in March for a fourth term running until 2031. Other key figures, including Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, and Concacaf president Vittorio Montagliani, have also criticised Gianni Infantino’s conduct.

Meanwhile, Montenegro has joined the growing list of dissenting federations. Dejan Savicevic, president of the Football Association of Montenegro and a Fifa Council member, wrote to Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom to withdraw earlier support for Gianni Infantino's candidacy, citing a serious lack of communication and transparency.

Wales was previously the first national federation to formally withdraw support, with Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney calling for Gianni Infantino to resign. Despite these mounting departures, Gianni Infantino still retains backing from the African confederation CAF and South America’s Conmebol.