FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino gestures as he arrives to attend the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has boasted about having the backing of the “vast, vast majority” of football ahead of his re-election bid. The embattled chief of football has faced calls to step down after a failed plan to sell stakes in the FIFA World Cup earlier this year.

The reality of that claim will become clear next year when the FIFA elections happen, where Infantino will contest the polls again. Infantino’s popularity has suffered after his proposal to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary. It was a plan that proved divisive with football federations in Europe, North America and Asia up in arms.…