Infantino, Fifa President Since 2016, Brushes Off Resignation Talk

Fifa president Gianni Infantino says he has the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of world football, dismissing questions about whether he considered resigning over a collapsed World Cup commercial-rights proposal, BBC Sport reported.

In an interview with BBC Sport's Laura Scott in Baku, Infantino laughed off resignation questions and struck a defensive line on the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which he scrapped within days of it becoming public. Under FFE, Fifa would have sold a portion of the commercial rights to competitions it runs to a private investment firm.

What triggered calls for Infantino to resign?

Two months ago, Infantino faced mounting pressure to step down. The heads of Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf signed a letter accusing him of breaking trust "through deception," according to BBC Sport. Last week Infantino apologized to the Fifa Council over the "communication and consultation" around FFE. Council members told him he was not "fit to be Fifa president" unless he handed over documents explaining the plan's rationale, the outlet reported.

What does Infantino say about his support?

Infantino told BBC Sport he has been "fully endorsed" by the Asian Football Confederation after a reversal by its president, Sheikh Salman, and that he has the backing of "all African countries." He framed the dispute as normal disagreement rather than a crisis of leadership.

"There is nothing bad in disagreeing. We see it every day in so many countries in the world. It's OK to disagree. It's OK to have different points of view, but then we need to be able to move on."

What deadline has Uefa set for Fifa documents?

Uefa has demanded Fifa release all key documents related to FFE by Nov. 2, BBC Sport reported. Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis said Fifa had failed to address "a number of fundamental questions." Pressed on when the papers would arrive, Infantino did not give a firm date, saying Fifa must follow a "legal process" and is "working on it."

Figures in the dispute

• 2016 — year Infantino became Fifa president.
• Nov. 2 — deadline Uefa set for Fifa to turn over FFE-related documents.

Why does Infantino's re-election look assured?

Since the confederation letter, Infantino has traveled to Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Cape Verde and Japan to shore up support, according to BBC Sport. The outlet reports his re-election to a fourth term next year now looks all but certain, even as Uefa's document request remains unresolved.

What else did Infantino address?

Speaking from the first Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan, Infantino acknowledged Fifa had done some things "maybe less good," without elaborating further, per BBC Sport's account. He did not specify a timeline for releasing the FFE documents Uefa and other confederations have requested.

The full BBC Sport interview is available at bbc.co.uk/sport.