By Lori Ewing
MANCHESTER, England, Aug 5 (Reuters) - As FIFA President Gianni Infantino battles the biggest challenge of his decade in power, two of the most prominent voices in the revolt against him have been women.
Wales' Laura McAllister and Norway's Lise Klaveness, the only women on UEFA's executive committee, have emerged as outspoken critics of Infantino during a crisis sparked by his failed attempt to push through a private equity-backed venture known as FIFA Football Enterprises (FFE).
The
backlash has ignited discussion about whether football, long dominated by male administrators, could be ready for a woman to lead the global game.
"It would be wonderful to see a woman elected as president of FIFA," McAllister, a UEFA vice-president, said in an interview with Reuters. "But it's far more complex than that.
"I'd like to think we're not far off having a female president, but I fear we are because I think the game has to do some catching up with the rest of society."
The debate has gathered momentum after former FIFA President Sepp Blatter publicly praised Klaveness on Tuesday, saying it was time for a woman to lead the sport's governing body.
Yet McAllister said FIFA's global political landscape remained a formidable obstacle.
"It's not as simple as simply bringing forward a woman," she said. "She might well be the best candidate for the job. But let's not pretend it's a simple meritocracy here. It's not."
The comments come after Infantino's FFE plan collapsed amid fierce opposition from UEFA and other regional governing bodies.
Wales were the first of several national associations to withdraw support for his re-election and dissent quickly spread within FIFA's own ranks.
Infantino was due to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday in Morocco.
McAllister, whose proposal of a boycott of FIFA events received unanimous support during UEFA's emergency meeting last week, said the turmoil reflected deeper governance problems at the sport's ruling body.
"There are signs that this is an issue that's reaching a crisis point, if it isn't already at a crisis point," she said.
ERODED TRUST
She pointed to a number of controversies that have eroded trust in Infantino's leadership, including FIFA's links to the failed European Super League project, political issues surrounding the World Cup and FIFA's decision to rescind a red card shown to American striker Folarin Balogun during the tournament after U.S. President Donald Trump called on Infantino to review the decision.
"All of this tells me that there are deep problems in the governance of FIFA," she said.
For McAllister, the standoff is also about protecting what she sees as football's core values.
She said she and Klaveness were driven by principles developed through careers in the women's game before moving into football governance.
"We were both international players for Wales and Norway, and then we both developed our own professional careers. Lise is a lawyer, and I'm a political scientist. But we're also very values-driven individuals," McAllister said. "For us, if football loses its values, then it loses its heart and soul, and therefore, the existential crisis is very real. So, it was important for us to have our voices heard.
"I think sometimes women are less bogged down with the business of football and more focused on what the game really is," she added. "The game is there for everybody, from grassroots to elite. It is as much for girls as it is for boys. It should reach every corner of the world in the poorest countries as well as the globally successful ones. It shouldn't be bought by private capital and nor should there be any political interference in how we run the game."
Of FIFA's 211 member associations, only 10 are led by female presidents, including Klaveness.
Any challenge for FIFA's presidency would require backing from associations well beyond Europe, and while Klaveness and McAllister have helped spearhead the resistance, McAllister cautioned against trying to force the issue of female leadership.
"We have to pave the way, and we have to build, and we have to keep building momentum," McAllister said. "Sometimes softly softly is the best approach because we can get there faster than by trying to force a revolution."
Former International Olympic Committee marketing director Michael Payne said football's governance structures had historically lagged behind other sports in promoting women into leadership roles.
"The fact that the IOC is now led by a woman (Kirsty Coventry), I would make an important distinction between the IOC and FIFA," Payne told Reuters. "The IOC has been pioneering in sport gender equity for a decade or more, two decades, and the Olympics are now 50-50 equal between men and women competing. The World Cup of football is not 50-50 equal."
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Ed Osmond)
