Politics and football rarely intersect so clearly. Emmanuel Macron has personally inserted himself into the crisis gripping FIFA, making direct contact with Gianni Infantino as the institution goes through a period of acute tension linked to its commercial management of the World Cup.
The French president also made it unambiguously clear that France is backing Aleksander Čeferin, the UEFA president, in this institutional standoff. This positioning places Paris in the camp of those resisting a reconfiguration of global football power deemed too favourable to the financial interests of Infantino and his allies. The English Football Association, for its part, is considering withdrawing its support for the Swiss official's re-election as head of the global governing body.
Macron's move goes beyond a diplomatic gesture. France remains a leading football power, with a national team that ranks among the world's elite and a network of academy clubs recognised across every continent. Influencing the governance of world football also means defending a European model built on open competitions and the redistribution of revenues towards national federations. This move, coordinated with UEFA, marks a clear escalation in a conflict that has been pitting European governing bodies against FIFA's leadership for several months.
Comments
By posting, you agree to our privacy policy.