The Albanian Football Federation was the first to withdraw support for Infantino in the upcoming FIFA elections, to be held on March 18, 2027, following his attempt to sell the World Cup rights.
UEFA President Ceferin entered into a fierce clash with the head of FIFA, and Duka, as UEFA vice-president and Ceferin's confidant, was the first to make a demonstrative move.
A few weeks later, the Italian and English federations did the same.
So far it seems like a war of clans, each according to their own interests. However, FIFA has recently launched an audit that also includes the Albanian Football Federation.
Sources close to the Albanian Football Association (AFH) indicate that the control is related to the tickets that the federations have withdrawn during the World Cup.
Each federation has the right to withdraw a certain number of tickets for each match. But it must be transparent with them. If it donates them to its staff, it must prove that they are officials or icons of local football. If it sells them, the money must at least go to the federation's coffers, documented.
Given that the 2026 World Cup had a record number of matches, 104, the number of tickets available to the federations was also high.
However, FIFA has decided to mainly control federations that have not had national teams in the World Cup. Just like Albania.
It is learned that some federations have withdrawn all the tickets they had available. And their total price was nearly 300 thousand dollars throughout the tournament. On the black market, their value was 4 or 5 times more expensive.
A type of business that FIFA is very clear about how it works.
Because the question arises: why should an Albanian, Kosovar or Greek federation withdraw tickets for a match like Cape Verde-Saudi Arabia?
But not without purpose, FIFA has now decided to conduct an audit focusing on "rebels" like Duka's work, who were the first to speak out against Infantino when he was attacked on all sides.
There are those who say that this is a well-thought-out plan. Not wanting to deal with two powerful federations in Europe like England and Italy, which also came out against it, FIFA makes an example of a country like Albania, while also hitting Ceferin, because Duka is his deputy in UEFA.
But it also sends a message to those who rebel that one day they will be held accountable.
