Former Players Criticize FIFA President Infantino, But Some Support Him
Listen to the story
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, is facing strong criticism from some former international football players. They believe "enough is enough" and no longer want him leading world football's governing body.
This growing opposition comes at a difficult moment for Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016. Several former players feel his leadership has gone on for too long or has caused problems for the sport.
However, not everyone agrees with these critics. Samuel Eto'o, a well-known former player from Cameroon, has publicly given his support to Infantino. Eto'o has said that Infantino "has changed football", suggesting his time as president has brought positive changes.
Meanwhile, many national football federations around the world continue to back Infantino, even though there is a wave of criticism directed at him. Some of these federations appear to believe the situation is not as serious as critics claim.
One question being asked within football circles is: "Is it really that bad?" This suggests that opinions about Infantino's leadership are sharply divided, with some seeing serious problems and others seeing exaggerated controversy.
The disagreement highlights a wider split in world football. On one side are former players who want change at the top of FIFA. On the other side are federations and figures like Eto'o who continue to defend Infantino's record.
It remains unclear how this division will affect Infantino's position, but the debate shows that his leadership continues to divide opinion across the football world, from former stars to national organizations.
Vocabulary10 words
- president
- the top leader of an organization
- governing body
- the official group that makes rules for something
- support
- help or agreement given to someone
- federations
- official groups that organize a sport in different countries
- controversy
- public disagreement about something
- opposition
- people who are against someone or something
- leadership
- the act of leading a group
- critics
- people who say something is bad
- divided
- split into different opinions
- figures
- important or well-known people
Quiz
Answer key
1. They no longer want him as FIFA president 2. He said Infantino has changed football 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Gianni Infantino, the _____ of FIFA, is facing strong criticism from some former international football players.
They believe "enough is enough" and no longer want him leading world football's governing _____.
This growing _____ comes at a difficult moment for Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016.
However, not everyone agrees with these critics. Samuel Eto'o, a well-known former player from Cameroon, has publicly given his _____ to Infantino.
Eto'o has said that Infantino "has changed _____", suggesting his time as president has brought positive changes.
Meanwhile, many national football _____ around the world continue to back Infantino, even though there is a wave of _____ directed at him.
This suggests that opinions about Infantino's _____ are sharply divided.
The disagreement highlights a wider split in world football.