‘He has to go’: German FA vice‑chief blasts Infantino over Trump prize and Balogun ban

Gianni Infantino must leave the Fifa presidency ‘no ifs or buts’, according to Hans-Joachim Watzke, one of the vice-presidents of the German Football Association. — AFP pic

First Published: Friday, 18 Sep 2026 7:44 PM MYT

MUNICH, Sept 18 — Gianni Infantino must leave the Fifa presidency “no ifs or buts”, according to Hans-Joachim Watzke, one of the vice-presidents of the German Football Association (DFB), as he spoke at a festival dedicated to artificial intelligence in Berlin on Thursday evening.

The DFB was one of the few federations not to sign a letter of support for Infantino’s re-election as Fifa president in six months’ time.

“He has to go, no ifs or buts,” declared Hans-Joachim Watzke, who said that three points in particular counted against the Swiss.

The first was the Fifa Peace Prize, launched by Infantino and awarded in December 2025 to US president Donald Trump, to whom Infantino is close, during the draw for the 2026 World Cup.

Infantino “created this prize himself, and he decided on it himself,” said Watzke.

“You can’t just invent something on your own and then announce it, it’s madness,” said Watzke.

Watzke also condemned the controversial handling of the Folarin Balogun red card during this year’s World Cup which was hosted in USA, Canada and Mexico.

The American forward was sent off in the last 32 but his automatic one-match suspension was lifted after a phone call from Trump to Infantino.

“It can’t be that when someone gets sent off, the head of state calls the Fifa president, and, remarkably, the whole thing is immediately overturned. That’s madness,” said Watzke.

The third issue was the project, unveiled on July 28 and dropped four days later, to create a commercial company that would have been open to private investors and became a focal point of the rebellion against Infantino.

“It’s completely insane,” said Watzke. “Nobody knew about it, his vice- presidents in Fifa knew nothing, the Council knew nothing.”

DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said earlier in the week in an interview with RTL/ntv television that it was also time for Infantino to depart.

“The relationship of trust with Gianni Infantino, under this Fifa leadership, has of course been completely shattered,” he said.

“It’s important that this Infantino system comes to an end.”

For now, Infantino is the only candidate for the Fifa presidency in the election scheduled for March 18, 2027, with candidacies open until November 18. — AFP