Angry football fans have unveiled a giant billboard in Times Square, New York City, calling for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be removed from his post after weeks of controversy surrounding his leadership.
The billboard went live at 6am ET on September 4 on the corner of 1500 Broadway and West 43rd Street, funded by fans from around the world who say they are speaking for supporters everywhere.
Organizers said in a statement: "We are football fans first and foremost and believe we echo the feelings of fans everywhere regarding Infantino and the threat he poses to the future of football."
Infantino has faced mounting criticism since giving U.S. President Donald Trump a newly created "FIFA Peace Prize" ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, before inviting Trump to present the trophy to the winning team. FIFA is football's global governing body, and Infantino has served as its president since 2016.
Kushner deal accusations
The backlash intensified after The Times revealed a clandestine plan by Infantino to sell off stakes in the World Cup to Joshua Kushner, a scheme organizers say would have banked him millions. The revelations triggered calls for his resignation and threats of boycotts from governing bodies, led by UEFA, European football's governing body.
In their statement, organizers accused Infantino of deceiving, blackmailing and threatening FIFA, his own team and the wider global football leadership in order to sell international football "to people who have ties to deeply unsavory activities, and who have no interest in the fans except as profit centers."
They said it was transparent that Kushner and his associates wanted to own "the assets of football, the fans and the players, to use as they wish while simultaneously wielding the soft power of international football as a tool of control."
Organizers went further, saying Infantino, who is meant to protect football from such dangers, "enthusiastically offered it up on a platter, paving the way with a fake Peace Prize, and only stipulating that he gets a cut," calling the move "shameful."
Calls for bans and boycotts
The group called on fans everywhere to make clear that Infantino is persona non grata at their stadiums and to demand the confederations they belong to remove him as soon as possible. They demanded that federations and confederations revoke invitations to Infantino and ban him from tournaments and matches until he is removed.
They also urged the football community to demonstrate against Infantino at matches and football-related events, to unveil tifos calling for his removal, and to boycott FIFA events. The statement went on to describe Infantino as "not a leader" but "a dealer who tried to sell the World Cup and more disturbingly, the children's World Cup," adding that fans "should all be shocked and disgusted" by that.
FIFA and UEFA dispute
The row comes as FIFA has accused UEFA of running a "smear campaign" after legal applications were made to access documents related to FIFA's controversial private investor plan. UEFA is applying through the American courts to obtain discovery of evidence and documentation linked to FIFA Forward Enterprise, a private company that was envisaged to run the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.
Infantino and Trump have made repeated public appearances together, including at the FIFA World Cup Final in July.
Confronted in the Caribbean
Infantino was recently tracked down in the Caribbean and confronted over calls to resign and claims that he had "betrayed the game." Sky News reporter James Matthews put the questions to him directly, but Infantino declined to answer, instead joking, "You have a nice haircut."
He repeatedly said "thank you very much" as he neared his car. As security personnel prepared to close the door, Infantino turned back towards Matthews with another hair-related joke: "I'll see you at the hairdressers."
