Opinions, analysis and commentary
Through FIFA’s own operational staff, not through any national federation or independent campaign team. That’s the mechanism Inside World Football exposed on July 15: association presidents describing direct pressure from FIFA employees to send formal letters backing Infantino’s 2027 re-election bid, months before any rival has even declared a candidacy. Germany’s federation refused to sign one and said so publicly, the biggest name in European football to do it. If the allegation holds up, campaigning through FIFA’s own paid staff would breach the organisation’s governance rules on political neutrality outright.
Coverage of FIFA’s 2027 presidential race usually starts with who might challenge Infantino, treating the nomination process as an open contest waiting for a name. Inside World Football’s July 15 report asked a more useful question and found a considerably more troubling answer: FIFA staff members allegedly lobbying national federations directly, requesting formal nomination letters months ahead of the eventual November deadline.
Several association presidents described being placed under direct pressure from FIFA employees, and separately described being sent draft letters with specific wording FIFA staff wanted reflected back to them nearly word for word. That turns what should be an independent, federation-driven nomination process into something that reads closer to an internal FIFA campaign, run through its own payroll rather than through any external political effort.
Sports Illustrated added a specific name to the reported mechanism: FIFA’s own European director, Elkhan Mammadov, reportedly sent letters to national associations during the World Cup itself, requesting formal statements of backing for Infantino’s ongoing campaign. That detail matters because it moves the allegation from a vague, anonymous staff process to a named senior official acting during FIFA’s own flagship tournament, in front of the entire footballing world.
Inside World Football was blunt about the governance implications, describing the use of FIFA staff to lobby or campaign for a sitting president as a clear breach of the organisation’s own Governance Regulations and Code of Ethics, both of which explicitly require political neutrality from every employee and official. Those same regulations allow for disciplinary measures ranging from fines and suspension to an outright ban from football activity altogether.
Germany’s football federation, led by its president Bernd Neuendorf, declined to sign the backing letter being circulated and made its distance from Infantino public rather than keeping it quiet through private diplomatic channels. That refusal carries weight well beyond one federation’s single vote.
Germany is the largest national association in European football to decline an endorsement before any challenger has even filed formal nomination papers, and its public stance gives smaller, less powerful federations cover to ask the same uncomfortable questions without standing entirely alone. FIFA, for its part, has not publicly denied the specific lobbying allegation attached to its own staff and senior officials.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG president and ECA chairman, is the name most frequently floated as a potential European-backed challenger to Infantino, yet he has not formally declared any intention to run. Victor Montagliani, CONCACAF’s president, is understood to be weighing a candidacy of his own but has likewise filed nothing formal with FIFA’s electoral committee.
The nomination deadline falls on November 18, and the lobbying allegations sharpen exactly why that gap matters so much right now: if enough federations sign support letters before a credible rival even enters the race, Infantino’s re-election starts to look inevitable well before the actual contest has properly begun in earnest.
Inside World Football’s own reporting noted that the letters already signed aren’t legally binding and can still be withdrawn by any federation before nominations formally close in November. Infantino confirmed his candidacy at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver back in April, and the case being built against him has kept growing since that announcement: the FFE controversy, Carlos Cordeiro’s resignation, and now the Infantino FIFA staff lobby re-election allegations all land inside the same six-week stretch of the football calendar.
A challenger who can credibly argue that FIFA’s own internal machinery is being used against a fair, independent process has a sharper, more compelling story to tell voters than one running purely on policy promises alone.
Should a federation president be allowed to campaign for re-election using FIFA’s own paid staff at all? Make your case in the comments below.
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When is the next FIFA presidential election scheduled?
The vote is set for March 18, 2027, at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat. Candidate nominations close earlier, on November 18, 2026, giving challengers a firm deadline.
Who is Nasser Al-Khelaifi in football governance terms?
He’s the PSG president and chairman of the European Club Association. Al-Khelaifi is widely discussed as a potential FIFA presidential candidate but hasn’t filed any formal nomination yet.
Has Victor Montagliani confirmed a run for FIFA president?
No, the CONCACAF president has not filed a formal nomination. He’s reported to be weighing a candidacy, but nothing beyond informal moves has been confirmed as of August 2026.
How long has Gianni Infantino served as FIFA president?
Infantino has held the role since February 2016. He ran unopposed in both 2019 and 2023 before confirming his 2027 re-election bid at the Vancouver Congress in April.
What action did UEFA take against FIFA this summer?
UEFA’s 55 member federations voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions entirely. The July 31 vote threatened to boycott every FIFA event, including the World Cup, unless the FFE investment plan was withdrawn.
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