ASUNCION, (Reuters) – The South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL threw its support behind Gianni Infantino’s bid for the presidency of soccer’s crisis-hit governing body FIFA yesterday, days after central American countries pledged to back him.
Infantino, a 45-year-old Swiss-Italian, is currently general secretary of European body UEFA and claims to have overwhelming backing from his own continent, making him one of the front-runners in next month’s FIFA vote.
The election was called after the organisation was plunged into the worst crisis in its 111-year history last May, with the arrest of officials by American and Swiss authorities probing corruption allegations.
“The CONMEBOL executive committee has decided to back Gianni Infantino’s candidacy and plan of action for the presidency of FIFA,” the confederation said in statement. It said the committee “expressed its unanimous approval to vote as a block for Gianni Infantino”.
Infantino is one of five men bidding to replace Sepp Blatter at the helm of FIFA, whose 209 member associations each have one vote in the February 26 electoral congress.
Blatter, who had been in charge at FIFA since 1998, was banned from football for eight years in December.
