Veteran French coach Claude Leroy launched a scathing attack on Swiss Gianni Infantino, president of the International Football Association (FIFA), accusing him of running the international organization according to his personal and electoral interests, and causing severe damage to the game's reputation.
Leroy's statements, at the age of 78, against the incoming coach of the Democratic Republic of Congo national team, during his hosting on the program "L'Équipe du Soir" on Wednesday evening; where he opened fire on the president of "FIFA".
Claude Leroy opens fire on Infantino and FIFA
Leroy's attack came in the wake of the widespread controversy sparked by the incident of lifting the suspension of United States national team striker Folarin Balogun, by an exceptional decision following direct intervention from US President Donald Trump.
This controversy coincided with the endorsement of the suspension penalty for France player Michael Olise, as well as Jarell Quansah, the right-back for the England national team, for two matches, following his challenge on the foot of the Mexican player.
Claude Leroy's criticisms did not stop at the limits of the ongoing World Cup crisis, but extended to include the way Infantino deals with African football.
The French coach said: "The matter is not limited to the World Cup, but extends to the Africa Cup of Nations and his relationship with the CAF; he appoints himself as the savior of the African tournament, something he would not dare to do for a moment in the Euro or Copa America or the Asian Cup".
He continued criticizing the Swiss official's intrusion into the sovereign affairs of the Dark Continent: "He comes and sits at the top, dictates to heads of state where they sit, and takes center stage to distribute all the medals".
Claude Leroy noted that this dictatorial influence stems from purely electoral calculations, affirming: "He exploits the greed of many African federation presidents, knowing they hold 54 votes in the upcoming elections; he is not seeking development, but looking for votes".
Leroy pointed out, denouncing the silence of his compatriot Arsène Wenger, FIFA's Director of Global Football Development, regarding the excesses committed by Infantino.
Leroy continued: "I would really like to know Wenger's opinion, as the chief technical official, on everything Infantino does in response to a phone call from Donald Trump".
Leroy continued his attack against Infantino, saying: "I am horrified that this man is still at the head of football authority, and I do not understand how we accept him being almost the sole candidate in the upcoming elections".
He went on: "His only advantage is that he masters many languages, but he is (a fool who masters languages) and poses a real danger to football, and has not offered it anything positive; rather, he has made the sport a scandal in everyone's eyes".
He revealed: "When you listen to the fans in the streets or among friends, you find them saying (everything is suspicious deals, you can cancel red cards as you wish, one phone call is enough for the disciplinary committee to vanish)".
Claude Leroy concluded his statements by saying: "I feel dismayed and fearful of the distorted image that professional football is projecting to the world today".
