When the controversial president of FIFA, the International Football Association Board, Gianni Infantino, arrived in the Azerbaijani capital Baku to attend the inaugural U15 World Cup for boys, he unusually answered questions from journalists.
When Infantino is asked whether he is fit to continue as president and whether he has considered resigning, he laughs, according to the BBC.
"You know, I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world," says the 56-year-old, who took office in 2016.
Backed by Asia and Africa
Just a few days earlier, he was in Tokyo, where the Asian Football Confederation and its 46 FIFA member associations expressed their support for Infantino's re-election at the congress in March next year.
He was also recently in Cape Verde, where the African Football Confederation and its 54 member associations backed four more years with Infantino.
"I am in talks with all the associations everywhere in the world," he says, and continues:
"There are different views, and it is not always easy to bring everyone under one roof. But we have to respect all opinions, all points of view, and then it is up to the FIFA member associations to decide who they want as president and how they want FIFA to be governed."
Everyone has a voice
He points out that the FIFA Congress is based on democratic principles. All member associations have one vote, and each vote carries equal weight.
"If we are serious about it, then we must also respect the opinions of the vast, vast majority."
Infantino has faced criticism in some quarters throughout his presidency, but this summer it reached new heights after his now-scrapped plans to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors.
Uefa (Europe) and Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean) currently appear to be the only confederations seeking new leadership at FIFA.
A challenger must be nominated by November 18, but so far no one has come forward to challenge Gianni Infantino.
Facts: How FIFA works
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) consists of 211 member associations, all of which have voting rights on issues raised at a congress.
The federations do not vote in blocs, but can seek consensus within their respective continental confederations on many major issues.
There are six continental confederations.
The Union of European Football Associations (Uefa) is the largest, with 55 FIFA members, closely followed by the Confederation of African Football (Caf), which has 54 FIFA members.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has 46 members, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) has 35, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has 11, and the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) has 10 FIFA members.
The next ordinary FIFA Congress will be held in Rabat, Morocco, in March 2027. A presidential election will be held then, and incumbent President Gianni Infantino is currently the only candidate.
The deadline to run as a candidate is November 18.
Three controversies involving FIFA President Gianni Infantino:
+ The Peace Prize for Donald Trump
On his own initiative, without the backing of the FIFA board, Infantino established the FIFA Peace Prize in November last year. A month later, at the draw for the World Cup groups, US President Donald Trump was given the prize. Critics believe the prize violates the organization's rules on political neutrality.
+ The star escaped suspension
After receiving a red card in the round of 16, the US forward was set to miss the round-of-16 match against Belgium. But after Donald Trump called Infantino and asked for a review, the suspension was lifted by FIFA's disciplinary committee. Infantino claims he had nothing to do with the decision.
+ The storm surrounding the FIFA affair
At the end of July, it was revealed that Infantino wanted to set up a commercial subsidiary to sell shares in, among other things, the World Cup to private investors. Large parts of the football world were outraged by the proposal, which was made without the knowledge of the FIFA board, and Infantino eventually scrapped his plans.