Via REUTERS/Paul Childs
Right now, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a great deal of scrutiny. He has sparked outrage after his plans to privatise the World Cup were revealed. And by sheer association, some will also be critical of Arsene Wenger.
The former Arsenal manager has been serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development since 2019, three years after Infantino took charge of the organisation. The pair have often been spotted together at games, and this was the case once again during the 2026 World Cup.
Since the tournament ended on 19 July, Infantino has attempted to form a new commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), which aimed to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors. His actions have not gone down well, with UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation all rejecting the scheme.
Adding to that, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that Infantino should step down, while UEFA have also expressed a loss of confidence in the FIFA head even after he backed down from the proposal. With all this in mind, it's interesting to learn where Wenger's stands on Infantino.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Wenger Discussed His Experience Working With Infantino
Arsene Wenger
There are rumblings that Infantino has lost some internal support amid the fallout. Most notably, his senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro announced his immediate resignation in protest of the controversial plans.
Wenger is yet to speak out on his boss at FIFA since the scandal broke, but he has been very vocal about his support of Infantino in the recent past. In February 2026, just months before the World Cup, the Arsenal legend paid glowing tribute.
Speaking to the Mirror, he claimed FIFA should be very “proud” of the “huge improvement” seen across Infantino’s ten-year reign. Wenger said:
“Overall we have gone through a lot. When you’re at FIFA you’re always under pressure and under scrutiny, but I believe that the highlights are that we’ve tried to develop the game by improving the roots of the game as well the competition.
“And if you look at the last ten years and how football has moved on the popular front, I would say there is a huge improvement on that side and that Gianni is always ready to move forward and to create new ideas. He’s open to new ideas."
Wenger continued, speaking on how FIFA have looked to expand in many different areas. He noted: “We have for the first time now a World Cup with 48 teams. Our target is to have 100 academies in 100 different countries, so that shows you how big the impact will be worldwide. It will change the world. And I’m convinced as well that the U-15 and U-17 World Cup every year will change football in the world - and it will change the world, believe me. So that I think is a very positive step.
“A lot has been done in the last 10 years to help countries who were behind Europe to develop their potential.
“So, that’s certainly the proudest moment, but you can look at these 10 years – a huge improvement has been made in the countries who were far behind and slowly the level is more unified and is much higher everywhere in the world. “I would say with hindsight, we realise that for the first time, in the last 10 years, FIFA has gone for a very strong educational programme.
“Before, FIFA had done a lot of work, of course, and a lot of good work, but it was mainly about organising competitions, about keeping the rules of the game, being a guarantor of the rules of the game, where we participate as well and we want to move the game forward as well.
“But for the first time in the last 10 years, FIFA has gone into an educational role and responsibility and that in my opinion will change the world.”
Wenger Explained Why He Joined FIFA
Arsene Wenger speaking at a FIFA event
Wenger retired from football management in 2018, but was picked up by FIFA the following year after his Arsenal exit. In the same interview, the Frenchman detailed what it's like to work with Infantino and why he wanted to become part of the organisation:
“Gianni is somebody who wants to move forward. He’s always open to new ideas and I’m grateful - he was a huge supporter of my suggestions to educate the players in the academies, in the countries and to develop all the countries.
“He is conscious that every country deserves a chance and he has helped me to get the funds and to get the funds voted by all the federations to support this programme. And I must say, he has been a huge supporter of the Development Programme so overall he’s always keen to move things forward."
Wenger concluded: “I thought the best way to have an influence in the world of football is at global level and I decided to join FIFA, to say yes to their question: ‘Would you like to join us and help us to improve the quality of the game in the world?’ And, it was obvious for me.
“You see the world has changed. When we go to the tournaments, everybody is excited about developing their potential and overall this is a huge success.”