Ex-Premier League star tipped to replace Infantino: It's his mission to protect football

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FT Desk

The future of Gianni Infantino is currently unclear following a series of controversies surrounding the FIFA President.

In the eyes of many, his position at FIFA has become untenable following the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise Proposal, which would have seen private equity firms buy shares in the World Cup.

The plans received such a negative response that he was forced to scrap them after just a few days. The governing bodies of European football, Asian football and North and Central American football, UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF, have all campaigned for his removal, either by resignation or via an election.

Infantino sent a letter to FIFA members apologising for the lack of communication over the FFE plans, but not the plans themselves.

There is, of course, the discourse surrounding his relationship with United States President Donald Trump. He is under scrutiny as FIFA is supposed to remain a politically neutral organisation and is the subject of an official complaint by the Norwegian Football Association to the FIFA ethics committee.

Should he eventually be replaced, someone will need to step into the role.

And, in the eyes of former Premier League star Toby Alderweireld, one man could be destined to take football forward - Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany.

"Who would be my pick to be the next president of FIFA? Vincent Kompany," Alderweireld told Hajper.

"I never thought before that he wanted to become a manager. He always talked about going on a mission to change football but maybe it’s his mission to protect football. He would be my president, always."

After a stellar playing career, the highlights of which came in the Premier League with Manchester City, Kompany moved into coaching and is currently enjoying a successful spell in Germany with Bayern.

He has previously used his platform to speak out about racism, equality and social issues, particularly through football. He has also supported community and youth initiatives, especially in his native Belgium and in Manchester.

Alderweireld believes Kompany possesses the qualities needed to be FIFA President.

"It’s very important that the FIFA president is someone who played the game and knows the game," he continued.

"We've all been a fan. Then we've become a football player. We know both sides. When I was a child, I went to all the away games on the bus. We're not just people who made good money out of playing in the Premier League and Champions League.

"We’re football fans too. We played the game. We know how it is. What it is to be a player and a fan. The one thing that's very important is that the person who's doing the talking should be a football guy because look at the World Cup. A 20-minute show at half-time? That’s where you need someone who knows football to say no.

"The most beautiful thing about the sport is its traditions. New things have their place too but we need to protect the traditions as well and that’s why you need football players, football people who have been around the game, to keep the businessmen in check."

Infantino is currently scrambling trying to find support for his presidency.

UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF have all withdrawn support for him, as have a number of high-profile nations.

So far, he has received messages of support from the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF), as well as Mexico and Argentina.

He is attempting to curry favour with the South American federation, CONMEBOL, by expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, which would allow that continent to host more matches at the next tournament.