The German Football Association (DFB) is taking concrete action following mounting criticism directed at FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Bernd Neuendorf, the head of the DFB, explained that he will not cast his vote for Infantino in March, telling the Tagesspiegel before the UEFA Congress in Berlin this week. Neuendorf asserted that as FIFA president, Infantino is “no longer tolerable,” arguing that he has significantly harmed the sport. He confirmed that the DFB is unanimous in its belief that Infantino has lost all confidence. In his statements to the Tagesspiegel, Neuendorf called for the “Red Card” for the FIFA chief, stating, “We must remove him.”
Neuendorf explicitly cited the Folarin Balogun case as a turning point. He stated that the situation was “completely unacceptable” and that at least following this incident, football stakeholders had to distance themselves from “the Infantino system.” This reference refers to the incident where FIFA revoked the Red Card ban against the US player after US President Donald Trump called Infantino.
Furthermore, Neuendorf sharply criticized the planned investor deal, calling it “undignified.” He cautioned that “You don’t sell a World Cup to investors. We would have turned ourselves into a football trinket for external interests, with all the consequences.”
Speaking to the Tagesspiegel, Neuendorf advocated for nominating a counter-candidate for the FIFA election in March by November 18th. He explained that while Infantino has been in office for ten years and established a culture within FIFA that requires fundamental change, they cannot simply act as facilitators. He added that it is unacceptable for the individual responsible for the current situation to steer the urgent reform process. Importantly, this candidate does not necessarily need to be European and could hail from another confederation.
