Gianni Infantino ignores Sky News US Correspondent James Matthews’ questions about why he has not quit and tells him: “I’ll see you at the hairdressers”
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino sparked more fans’ fury by telling a bald TV reporter who asked him why he had not quit: “I’ll see you at the hairdressers.”
Sky Sports’ US Correspondent James Matthews tracked down the FIFA president in the Caribbean to ask him if his now-binned plan to sell off the World Cup had ‘betrayed the game of football’.
Infantino – who is himself bald – repeatedly refused to answer and instead focused on Matthews’ follicle-free bonce. Asked if he had betrayed the game of football, smiling Infantino replied: “You have a nice haircut. Thank you so much.”
Matthews continued: “Why won’t you resign? Fans, FIFA associations want you to step down. Why won’t you? Have you betrayed the trust of FIFA sir?”
Getting into the back of a blacked-out chauffeured 4×4 Infantino said: “I’ll see you at the hairdressers.”
The football chief’s comments sparked more fury from supporters.
One wrote online: “It’s tasteless and disrespectful James, especially from a president. Well done anyway for asking the questions!”
Another said: “Excellent work James.”
A third said: “Well done. You are so good at pursuing people. GI made himself look an even bigger (clown emoji) than usual and who would have thought that possible?”
“Still angers me to this day James,” said another.
“The money that global fans who wanted to be there to watch their nation play at the World Cup. Folk selling watches, cars, taking on extra hours at work or additional jobs to get more income to afford a ticket.
“We won’t stop till he resigns.”
Though one fan said: “You have to admit that it was a good gag from Infantino.”
The clash came after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, 58, whose body is threatening to boycott the World Cup unless Infantino quits, said football politics was now more ‘dirty’ than the real thing.
He told The Rest Is Politics podcast Infantino’s plan to flog the World Cup to private investors – including an in-law of US President Donald Trump – was worse than the ill-fated bid by 12 clubs to set up a European Super League in 2021.
“I think this plan is even worse than the Super League plan,” he said.
“In the first case super important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong and we would destroy football. “But in this case, football would be literally sold.
“I’m absolutely sure that the plan is dead. But things get too far.
“Now, in football, politics is sometimes even more complicated, or if you want, dirty than the normal politics.
“For me, the most important thing is that we stopped another try to sell the sport.
“I mean, it’s hard to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone. We will not allow that to happen. The project is dead.”
He said he had no prior knowledge of Infantino’s intended sell-off or his plan to present Donald Trump with a FIFA Peace Prize ahead of the World Cup.
“We didn’t know anything – nothing, nothing,” Ceferin said.
He said Infantino’s subsequent offer to give associations cash bungs to back the sell-off was akin to the FIFA chief trying to buy someone’s house with their own money.
Infantino had not spoken to him since the plan was leaked.
He should either step down or be voted out, Ceferin said, adding he had no desire to replace him at FIFA.