Under the lights of a Berlin artificial-intelligence festival, Hans-Joachim Watzke delivered an unusually blunt verdict on FIFA’s leadership. The German Football Association vice-president said Gianni Infantino should leave office, arguing that trust in the world governing body has been wrecked by a series of decisions taken without proper oversight.
“He has to go, without any hesitation,” Watzke said on Thursday evening. Germany was among the few national associations not to join a letter backing Infantino’s re-election six months before the FIFA presidential vote. More than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations had initially supported him, although major European nations including France and Italy have since withdrawn that backing.
German anger over FIFA decisions
Watzke, who also sits on UEFA’s executive committee, focused on three episodes. The first was FIFA’s peace prize, created under Infantino and awarded to US President Donald Trump in December 2025 during the draw for the 2026 World Cup. Infantino has a close relationship with Trump.
Watzke criticised the process behind the award, saying Infantino had established the prize himself and then chosen its recipient. “You cannot simply create something on your own and then announce it. It is madness,” he said.
He also attacked FIFA’s handling of the Balogun case at the World Cup. The American player was sent off in the round of 32, but his automatic one-match ban was overturned after President Trump contacted Infantino. Watzke said it was unacceptable for a head of state to call FIFA’s president after a dismissal and for the sanction to be removed almost immediately.
“That is madness,” Watzke said of the decision, which became another flashpoint in the growing opposition to Infantino.
The third issue was the proposed commercial company announced on July 28 and dropped only four days later. The plan would have allowed private investors into a new FIFA-linked business structure. Watzke said neither FIFA’s vice-presidents nor members of its Council had been informed in advance.
“It was completely absurd,” he said. “Nobody knew about it.”
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf had already voiced a similarly severe assessment earlier this week. He said the relationship of trust with Infantino and FIFA’s current direction had been “completely broken”, adding that it was important for the “Infantino system” to come to an end.
For now, Infantino remains the only declared candidate for FIFA’s presidential election, scheduled for March 18, 2027. Potential challengers have until November 18 to submit their candidacies.
