AFA backs Infantino — but what does it mean for the future of the World Cup?
Chiqui Tapia's Argentine federation came out in defence of Infantino after the collapse of the FFE project, which sought to privatise the commercial rights to future World Cups.
FIFA is in crisis — and Argentina has chosen a side.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA), led by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, released an official statement on Friday expressing support for Gianni Infantino's leadership of world football's governing body. The move comes at a sensitive moment: FIFA is facing fierce opposition from UEFA and threats of a boycott following the collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, according to Marca.
The FFE was a bold — and controversial — proposal. The idea was to open the door to private investors in the management of commercial rights for future World Cups. UEFA and the AFC pushed back hard, and FIFA ultimately reversed course. It was only after that U-turn that the AFA released its statement.
In the communiqué, the Argentine federation welcomed the scrapping of an initiative that generated, in its own words, "far more uncertainties than certainties." It also praised what it described as a gesture of good governance: the "acknowledgement of mistakes made in the process and the apology" extended to all 211 member federations, according to Marca.
But the support goes beyond this isolated crisis. The AFA was unequivocal in reaffirming its political alliance with Infantino, highlighting a decade of transformation at FIFA under his leadership.
The Golmetria model places Argentina as the second favourite to win the 2026 World Cup, with a 6.92% chance of lifting the trophy — behind only one other side. In the market, the American odds of +1000 reflect an implied probability of 9.09%.
In football politics, as on the pitch, Argentina rarely sits on the fence. The question now is whether this backing of Infantino will carry weight in the next institutional battles — and whether the World Cup model being drawn up for 2030 and beyond will truly benefit those who today defend the status quo.