Gianni Infantino: Fifa president will stand for re-election in March

Fifa president Gianni Infantino will stand for re-election in March, says football’s world governing body.

Infantino, who has filled the role since 2016, has been under pressure following his scrapped plan to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment firms.

Infantino’s lucrative plan sparked a global outcry, with European football’s governing body Uefa threatening to boycott all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup.

“The Fifa president announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027,” read a Fifa statement.

“Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.”

Infantino refused to answer questions about his future when asked by reporters at the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland on Saturday.

It is the first time Fifa has said he will run for a new term since the plan was announced following the summer’s World Cup.

Should the 56-year-old Swiss be re-elected, he will serve until 2031.

Fifa this week accused Uefa of a “smear campaign against it and its leadership”, in a challenge to litigation over Infantino’s plan.

Last week Uefa filed legal papers in the US requesting disclosure of evidence and documents from Fifa, warning it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.