Infantino pledges ‘culture of dialogue’ at FIFA after uproar over World Cup sell-off plan

Infantino pledges ‘culture of dialogue’ at FIFA after uproar over World Cup sell-off plan GRAHAM DUNBAR GENEVA, SWITZERLAND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 38 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrives to attend the opening game of the Women's U20 World Cup opening match between Poland and Argentina in Katowice, Poland, on Sept. 5. BEATA ZAWRZEL/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. FIFA’s embattled president Gianni Infantino said Thursday he is committed to a fresh culture of openness at the soccer body that is “not about generating positive headlines.” Two months into a deep rift for global soccer because of Infantino’s now-dropped US$4.2-billion World Cup sell-off plan, he offered to his critics this week an independent review of how FIFA is run and makes decisions. “I have received positive messages about it from different parts of the world, and it is important that we keep listening to each other,” he wrote in an Instagram post from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the Arabian Gulf Cup. Infantino will chair an Oct. 15 meeting of the 37-member FIFA Council that also will be asked to approve consultation with the 211 member federations and six continental soccer bodies on “how to further strengthen FIFA’s decision-making processes.” The 211 members already effectively own FIFA, a Switzerland-based not-for-profit that has at least US$5-billion in cash reserves after a financially successful men’s World Cup in North America. FIFA’s ruling council includes three vice presidents – European soccer leader Aleksander Ceferin, North America’s Victor Montagliani and Asia’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa – who have led opposition to Infantino during the furor over his proposal to create a commercial spinoff part-owned by investors fronted by Josh Kushner. “There must be a culture of dialogue, of listening to each other and respecting one another,” Infantino wrote Thursday about the council meeting in Zurich. “This is not about generating positive headlines, it is about doing what is right for the game.” Infantino’s presidency since 2016 has created most turmoil when proposing multi-billion dollar commercial plans without fully consulting continental bodies like UEFA, which succeeded in stopping them. Infantino open to an independent FIFA governance review after backlash over failed…