Gianni Infantino’s recent capitulation looks like a textbook case of overreach by a leader unaccustomed to restraints on their power. The FIFA president’s plan to sell a stake in a $20 billion commercial vehicle to private investors unraveled in four days as a global backlash mounted and even close colleagues disowned the project. His own position is now in question. Anyone hoping that replacing the head will bring an end to recurring scandals is likely to be disappointed: What world soccer’s governing body needs above all is structural change.

“We will restore the image of FIFA and the respect of FIFA, and everyone in the world will applaud us,” Infantino said in 2016 after winning the presidency, going on to promise a new, transparent era for the organization. It’s a statement that hasn’t aged well. For many followers of the sport, what is most striking about Infantino’s tenure is how little it has differed in style from that of his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who resigned and was subsequently banned after U.S. authorities arrested seven FIFA officials on racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering charges. There have been no comparable criminal scandals under Infantino’s leadership, but his presidency has been characterized by the same imperial manner and the persistence of ethical and governance concerns.

Like Blatter and Joao Havelange before him, Infantino has increasingly behaved as if he is the personification of soccer. The........

© The Japan Times