Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA since 2016. He has been heralded as a hero by many African and Asian football federations as he has been key to expanding the World Cup to 48 teams and growing funds for the game in parts of the world that previously felt left out. To European and South American eyes, Infantino has become synonymous with a corrupt FIFA, becoming the centre of attention rather than the administrator the FIFA president should be as head of a non-profit organisation.
Days prior to the opening match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Infantino gave an on-the-cuff press conference where he bizarrely claimed that “today I feel gay. Today I feel like a women. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel like a migrant worker”. This was in response to heavy criticism of the choice of Qatar as host due to the poor treatment and deaths of migrant workers in the country when building the stadiums for the World Cup, alongside worries for the LGBTQ+ community in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
An interim coach is put in temporary charge of a team when a manager or head coach has been sacked, resigned, or left by mutual consent. Sometimes referred to as ‘Caretaker Manager’. If near the start or the middle of the season, an interim coach can be expected to be in charge for 2-3 games until a new manager is found. Later in the season, an interim coach may be put in charge until the end of the season, like Michael Carrick at Manchester United.
Tony Parkes was interim coach for Blackburn Rovers a staggering six times between 1986 and 2004.