April 10 (Reuters) - South American football's governing body (CONMEBOL) gave Gianni Infantino its backing on Thursday should he decide to run for reelection as FIFA president for a fourth term.
While Infantino has yet to confirm whether he will run for the 2027–2031 term, CONMEBOL's council said in a statement that it "unanimously expressed its support" for the 56-year-old's leadership ahead of a potential bid.
"President Gianni Infantino, thank you for your continued commitment to the development of South American football and for the leadership exercised at a global level," CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez said.
"We deeply value your closeness to our region and your vision to continue growing the game worldwide."
CONMEBOL is the first federation to express support for Infantino's re-election.
The Swiss took office in 2016, taking over from Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and again in 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year's World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women's tournament in 2023 expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino's tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as governance and calendar congestion.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
