Fifa has strongly condemned what it describes as attempts to "undermine" its president, Gianni Infantino. Infantino has faced calls for his resignation following an abandoned proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions.
The proposed sell-off had led to a boycott threat from Uefa, European football's governing body, with the Football Association (FA) among those withdrawing support for Infantino. Despite this, Fifa's management board backed Infantino at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.
A Fifa spokesperson stated that the organisation would not "support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the Fifa President that is inconsistent with Fifa’s Statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework." The statement also highlighted that Infantino was democratically elected and continues to serve with the mandate of Fifa's Member Associations.
Infantino, who succeeded Sepp Blatter in February 2016, is set to seek re-election in March of next year. He has received backing from Conmebol and the Confederation of African Football (Caf), and Uefa's boycott threat remains in place.