Fifa president Infantino chosen as effigy for Edenbridge bonfire night
Edenbridge Bonfire Society in Kent has picked Fifa president Gianni Infantino as this year's effigy. The 36ft (11m) figure will stand alongside a giant Guy Fawkes.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino, head of football's world governing body, will be the centrepiece of this year's Bonfire Night celebration in Edenbridge, a town in Kent, south-east England, on Saturday. The local bonfire society makes a topical effigy each year.
The society said Infantino was chosen after a "string of decisions that have left their mark on the world of football in the wake of the World Cup". US President Donald Trump is also part of the figure, because Infantino gave him the new Fifa Peace Prize this year. Past targets include Trump and former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, whose effigy was built in 2025.
Why Infantino
Laura Lawrence of the society said there had been a wish to move away from politicians, but the choice "isn't quite entirely moved away from politics". She pointed to controversies including the suspension of a red card shown to United States player Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup, at Trump's request. Infantino also planned to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors but dropped the idea after opposition.
Elon Musk, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner were among other suggestions from the public.
The effigy and the event
Artist and society co-chair Andrea Deans has made the effigies since 2016. An effigy usually takes about a week, but Infantino was finished in six days. She said Trump was included because the society made one of him 10 years ago. The figure also carries local touches: a bin, reflecting residents' problems with waste collections, and traffic lights, which she said cause havoc in the town almost every month.
All roads into Edenbridge will close at 18:00 GMT on Saturday. The event begins at 18:30 with a torch-lit procession of around 20 floats, walking parties, visiting bonfire societies and marching bands, lit by more than 1,000 flaming torches. The society has run a parade in the town since 1928. Fifa has been contacted for comment.
