Fifa election: Vast majority of fans “have no confidence” in scandal-ridden governing body but would prefer Gianni Infantino over Prince Ali or Sheikh Salman as new president
Less than a quarter of football fans retain any confidence in Fifa, according to a new poll conducted ahead of this week's vote to elect Sepp Blatter's successor as president.
In a poll of over 25,000 fans from 28 countries, 69 per cent said they did not have confidence in Fifa, 12 per cent were unsure and just 19 per cent said they still had confidence in the scandal-ridden governing body.
The results, compiled by the Forza Football app and published in Transparency International's Global Corruption Report: Sport, released today, also show that half of fans do not believe Fifa will ever restore its reputation following years of scandals which have resulted in the arrest and suspension of high-ranking officials in the last year.
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Five candidates are in the running to be elected president this week, but when football supporters were asked to pick their favourite for the role 60 per cent replied "none of the above".
Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino received 19 per cent of fans' backing but Prince Ali, who was picked by nine per cent of fans, was most popular amongst respondents based in the UK.
Election frontrunner Sheikh Salman Ibrahim Al-Khalifa from Bahrain received just four per cent of fans' backing.
"The poll results show us beyond any doubt that Fifa has lost the trust of football supporters," said Gareth Sweeney, the editor of Transparency International's global corruption report.
"But they also show it is still possible for Fifa to regain that trust. At least half those polled will give Fifa a second chance. That's why Fifa must not only put serious reforms in place but be seen to do that.
"The new president should also be ready to listen to football fans to address this lack of trust."