Angry soccer fans have taken to Times Square, unveiling a massive billboard calling for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be removed after recent controversies.
Infantino sparked outrage long before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States after giving President Donald Trump a newly created ‘FIFA Peace Prize’, before inviting Trump to present the trophy to the winning team.
Since then, his clandestine plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to Joshua Kushner has been uncovered and faced huge backlash from fans around the world.
In the wake of The Times revealing the devious scheme, that would have banked him millions, Infantino has faced calls to resign and threats of boycotts from governing bodies, led by UEFA.
And soccer fans from around the world have now unveiled a Times Square billboard in New York City demanding he resign. The billboard went live at 6am ET on September 4, on the corner of 1500 Broadway and West 43rd Street.
Organizers said: ‘We are football fans first and foremost and believe we echo the feelings of fans everywhere regarding Infantino and the threat he poses to the future of football.
Gianna Infantino is facing ongoing pressure in his role as FIFA President after recent revelations
Soccer fans have funded a Times Square billboard demanding Infantino be ousted from his role
Organizers of the billboard have accused the embattled President of ‘blackmail’
‘He deceived, blackmailed, and threatened FIFA, his team and the wider global football leadership in order to sell international football to people who have ties to deeply unsavory activities, and who have no interest in the fans except as profit centers.
‘It is transparent to us that Kushner and his associates want to own the ‘assets’ of football – the fans and the players – to use as they wish while simultaneously wielding the soft power of international football as a tool of control.
‘Infantino, who is meant to protect football from such grave dangers, enthusiastically offered it up on a platter, paving the way with a fake ‘Peace Prize’, and only stipulating that he gets a cut. Shameful.
‘We call on fans everywhere to make it clear Infantino is persona non grata at their stadiums and to demand the confederations they’re members of remove him as soon as possible.
‘Until he is removed, we demand action: We call on federations and confederations to revoke invitations and/or ban Infantino from tournaments and matches
‘We call on the football community to let Infantino know he’s not welcome by demonstrating against him at matches and any football related events, by unveiling tifos calling for his removal and by boycotting FIFA events.
‘Gianni Infantino is not a leader, he is a dealer who tried to sell the World Cup and more disturbingly, the children’s World Cup. We should all be shocked and disgusted by the latter.’
FIFA recently accused UEFA of a ‘smear campaign’ after legal applications made to access documents related to FIFA’s controversial private investor plan. UEFA is applying through the American courts for discovery of evidence and documentation linked to FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a private company which it was envisaged would run the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.
The billboard appeared on Friday morning in Times Square demanding ‘Infantino Out’
Infantino and Trump made another public appearance at the FIFA World Cup Final in July
Infantino was recently tracked down in the Caribbean and confronted over calls to resign and claims he has ‘betrayed the game’.
Not giving an answer to Sky News reporter James Matthews, he simply joked: ‘You have a nice haircut.’
He repeatedly said ‘thank you very much’ as he neared the car. Then, as security personnel prepared to close the door, Infantino turned back towards Matthews and finished with another hair-related joke: ‘I’ll see you at the hairdressers.’
