German FA chief calls Gianni Infantino’s reform pledge a ‘transparent ploy’ for re-election

Gianni Infantino’s pledge to discuss reforms within Fifa has been criticised as a mere ploy to get himself re-elected by Germany FA (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf.

Infantino has come under heavy pressure to resign after being forced to abandon plans to sell a 20 percent stake in Fifa tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors.

European governing body Uefa led calls for Infantino to step down after threatening to boycott Fifa competitions, with many Uefa member associations officially withdrawing their support for the Swiss-Italian’s re-election bid, while further opposition has come from the Asian confederation and Concacaf, which represents countries in North and Central America plus the Caribbean.

Infantino, however, continues to cling on to power and outlined his plans for reform in a letter sent to all 211 member associations and Fifa Council members on Monday evening.

Gianni Infantino sent a letter to member associations on Monday pledging to review Fifa’s governance (Reuters)

In the letter, reported to be seen by several media outlets, Infantino suggested an “independent external review of Fifa’s current governance framework” before insisting that his sell-off scheme never put “Fifa’s democratic processes, independence and sporting authority” up for sale.

However, Neuendorf has responded by blasting Infantino for a “transparent” attempt to win favour back ahead of the Fifa presidential election in March 2027.

"I regard Gianni Infantino’s letter as a transparent ploy to secure his re-election next year," said Neuendorf on Tuesday.

"Fundamentally, Fifa now seems to have recognised that changes are essential. However, Gianni Infantino is definitely not the right person to lead a reform process. He has squandered all credibility.“

The DFB has led opposition to Infantino for quite some time, having already opted against endorsing the president earlier in the year before scandals surrounding the World Cup unfolded.

“The DFB has not signed a letter of support for the re-election of Gianni Infantino," the governing body stated in July. "Further steps will be discussed in the DFB presidential board."

Former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff further reiterated the nation’s loss of trust in Infantino.

"We have to take care of football,” he said. “It is already commercial but it is a property for all of football. The world views may be different but in the last weeks and months a lot happened so that we have no trust any more that it will be going in the right direction."