FIFA’s Infantino ‘must go, no ifs or buts’, blasts German FA vice president

Hans-Joachim Watzke, one of the German Football Association’s vice-presidents, said Gianni Infantino must step down as FIFA president without qualification during remarks at an artificial intelligence festival in Berlin. Watzke told the event that three specific episodes under Infantino’s leadership justified calls for his resignation. First, Watzke criticised the creation of a FIFA Peace Prize by Infantino and its presentation to US President Donald Trump in December 2025 during the 2026 World Cup draw. He said the prize had been invented and awarded by Infantino himself and described that unilateral action as inappropriate. Watzke also attacked the handling of an incident from the 2026 World Cup, in which US forward Folarin Balogun received a red card in the last-32 match. According to Watzke, Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension was lifted after a phone call from Trump to Infantino, an intervention Watzke called unacceptable. The third matter Watzke raised was a commercial company plan that Infantino unveiled on July 28 and abandoned four days later; Watzke said FIFA vice-presidents and the Council were not informed about the proposal and that its sudden appearance and withdrawal fuelled the rebellion against Infantino. DFB president Bernd Neuendorf has also said the relationship of trust with Infantino’s leadership has been "completely shattered" and that his system should end. As it stands, Infantino is the only declared candidate for the FIFA presidency ahead of the election scheduled for March 18, 2027; the deadline to submit candidacies is November 18.