🇩🇪⚽ INFANTINO IS BEING LEFT ALONE: GERMANY REFUSES TO SIGN THE LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR HIS FIFA RE-ELECTION
âś‹ The German Football Association just slammed the door on Gianni Infantino: its president, Bernd Neuendorf, refused to sign the letter of support FIFA is asking European federations to submit to lock in a fourth term for the Swiss boss at the election on March 18, 2027, in Rabat.
🕵️ The snub landed in the middle of the World Cup: FIFA’s director for Europe went around the tournament’s 16 European teams collecting signatures. Germany said no, and so far England won’t even confirm whether it sent its own letter.
🟥 The trigger has a name: the Folarin Balogun case. FIFA suspended the US striker’s red card and let him play in the round of 16 after Donald Trump called Infantino asking for the punishment to be reviewed. UEFA said a “red line” had been crossed, while Infantino insists neither he nor Trump influenced the decision.
📄 Neuendorf was blunt: this case “must not be filed away”. And the pressure is mounting on every front: human rights group FairSquare filed a ten-page complaint against Infantino with the IOC over alleged breaches of political neutrality tied to his closeness with Trump, and Norway’s federation is backing another complaint before FIFA’s Ethics Committee.
🌍 On paper, Infantino can still breathe: South America, Africa and Asia have already pledged their votes, putting him past the 106 he needs. But Europe, the most powerful region in world football, is rising against him in the middle of the World Cup. Winning the election is one thing; losing the continent that bankrolls the game is another story entirely.