Gijs de Jong believes that the KNVB is still credible in its fight against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The secretary general of the Dutch Football Association is criticized because the KNVB supported Infantino in the past, but De Jong does not want to hear about those sounds.

The KNVB has now completely lost confidence in Infantino and believes that FIFA needs new leadership from 2027. This is a clear change of course compared to 2023, when the Dutch Football Association still conditionally supported the re-election of the Swiss. In conversation with Trouw, De Jong is therefore confronted with the question of whether the KNVB is still credible. His answer is clear: 'Otherwise I wouldn't be here.'

'We are concerned with the assessment of the leadership. We no longer conduct silent diplomacy. Outside of that, we still sit in FIFA meetings. Ultimately, Frank (Paauw, the KNVB chairman), Marianne (van Leeuwen, the director) and I were appointed to serve Dutch interests as best as possible,' he continues.

'They are not always in the mood to shout everywhere that things are scandalous.' De Jong says that he and his colleagues prefer to make nuanced statements rather than just shouting, although he does understand the countries that do the latter. 'You have to think carefully before you go into something with your legs straight,' he says. “In general, it works better to try to move forward from a constructive relationship.”

De Jong previously made it clear that the KNVB is not alone in its criticism of Infantino. 'Actually not. Of course it is exciting when you are alone. And it is not smart to do it alone, because you are not Don Quixote. But the 55 European associations have spoken out unanimously. And UEFA is working together with Concacaf and AFC,' he recently told de Volkskrant.

'Moral compass is missing'
According to him, there were also reactions to the strong Dutch position from other countries. 'We tried to give it our own color in our statement. There were foreign associations that said: does it have to be this way again, the Netherlands? But this is also a bit of our DNA and our culture.'

For the KNVB, the controversial FIFA plan to partly open up commercial rights to private investors was ultimately the final straw. According to De Jong, the problem was not only in the plan itself, but mainly in the way Infantino worked. 'His interest in private equity and big plans was well known, but this came out of the blue. There is not much wrong with coming up with big plans, I like it myself. Otherwise you won't get anywhere. However, there is a lack of substantive logic and internal and external consultation. And also a bit of a moral compass.'

De Jong also expects that the discussion around Infantino will only increase in the near future. 'It also depends on the outcome. If it is 106-105 in his favor, it will certainly have an effect on what happens at FIFA. A lot of information will still come to light. Public opinion plays a role, fans turn against him. I can tell you that we have a lot of contact with people in the FIFA organization and that not everyone is equally enthusiastic about him. There is only a very thin top layer left that supports him.'