Gianni Infantino Accused of Wanting Argentina to Win Title

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has been accused of corruption after eye-opening footage emerged of some “shameless” comments he made following one of the World Cup’s Round of 32 ties. Football’s top dog has found it difficult to stay away from the limelight for too long this summer, and his latest act could be his most controversial yet.

Indeed, some of the other things he has done that have kicked up a storm include the sycophantic gesture of gifting US President Donald Trump an inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” last December. Meanwhile, he introduced hydration breaks even in stadiums that are air-conditioned or experiencing heavy rainfall, while his organisation also threatened to change the kick-off times for a number of fixtures, including England’s trip to Mexico, before backtracking just two days before the match.

Even with all of the above, it has still been a great spectacle, with Argentina, France and Spain emerging as the favourites for glory up to this point. However, all of that could be in vain if suggestions on social media that Infantino has already made up his mind about who he wants to win turn out to be true.

Gianni Infantino’s Tongue Slip Sees Him Accused of ‘Corruption’

While being interviewed by an Argentine journalist after Lionel Messi and co. required extra-time to beat Cape Verde 3-2 on Friday night, Infantino appeared to let slip his secret support of the 2022 winners. He said (watch the full segment below):

The 56-year-old’s realisation that what he said was probably not going to do his already-tarnished reputation any favours, and so prompting him to backtrack on his ‘shameless’ comments, has caused a huge stir on social media.

With many already suspicious over the fact the world champions have been given the easiest route to the final, one X user wrote: “But seriously what can be done to curb this corruption scandal going on?” as a second added: “Incompetent. It’s a disgrace that the FIFA president is this biased. He needs to resign ASAP.”

Another continued: “How do you even convince people that this organization isn’t favoring Messi when the president openly declared his support for Argentina?” Meanwhile, a fourth remarked: “Imagine the outrage if he said this about Portugal”, while a fifth concluded: “Absolutely embarrassing, we should protest and boycott until he resigns.”

Argentina Look Good Value For Back-to-Back World Cup Success

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The supercomputer currently predicts that France have the best chance of winning the World Cup, with Argentina following just behind them.

Given both nations’ route to the final, scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a repeat of the 2022 Qatar showdown, which saw Messi reach football immortality via a penalty shootout despite Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick in normal time.

After other fans noticed the Inter Miami star, considered the greatest footballer of all time, trying to cheat from a free-kick in a last-gasp win over Cape Verde, there’s growing belief FIFA want Argentina to win again. But when you have Messi in your side, anything’s possible.