FIFA Vice-President Sandor Csanyi Withdraws Confidence in Infantino

FIFA vice-president Sandor Csanyi has told president Gianni Infantino that he no longer has confidence in his leadership, according to a letter reported by The Guardian on Wednesday. Csanyi, who also leads the Hungarian Football Federation, questioned Infantino's professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership in the communication, which the newspaper said was first obtained by AFP.

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The letter was sent to Infantino on Tuesday, The Guardian reported. In it, Csanyi described the unexpected dismissal of FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour as the final straw in a wider breakdown of trust. Lamour was dismissed on Monday after he had criticized Infantino the previous month over an aborted proposal to sell private investors shares connected to the World Cup, according to the report.

Csanyi wrote that his previous conviction in Infantino's ability to continue leading FIFA successfully and effectively in line with shared values had been undermined. The letter also referred to a number of controversial decisions at this year's World Cup, including Infantino's involvement in plans to outsource FIFA competitions and place them under external control.

The intervention makes Csanyi the fifth of FIFA's eight vice-presidents to call for Infantino to stand down, The Guardian reported. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa and English Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt have also made their opposition clear, according to the newspaper.

Three vice-presidents continue to support Infantino: Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez, Confederation of African Football president Patrick Motsepe and Oceania Football Confederation president Lambert Maltock. The reported division therefore leaves a majority of the vice-presidential group opposed to Infantino, although Csanyi's letter does not itself determine a leadership change or set out a timetable for one.

Csanyi also sits on the 37-member FIFA Council, described by The Guardian as the organization's principal decision-making body in theory. The newspaper reported that Csanyi believes the council has repeatedly been overlooked by Infantino. His decision to withdraw support adds another senior figure from global football administration to the challenge facing the FIFA president, while the confirmed report centers on the concerns Csanyi set down in his letter.