Gianni Infantino has officially scrapped his plan to sell-off stakes in the World Cup but Uefa has come out and declared it has lost confidence in his Fifa presidency after the controversial proposals.
“The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” said Uefa in a statement on Saturday morning and claimed “the shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent” in a damning missive.
Infantino is now is under mounting pressure from football federations as well as from within Fifa, with his long-term adviser Carlos Cordeiro choosing to quit in protest over Infantino’s initial proposals, while Fifa’s chief operating officer has said that Infantino “deceived” staff over his plans. Questions are beginning to arise as to whether his presidency remains tenable.
Donald Trump meanwhile told reporters on Friday that he had not spoken to Infantino about the plans despite their close relationship and the fact that Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was expected to lead the proposed investor group.
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ICYMI: Fifa scraps plan to sell World Cup stakes after boycott threat and widespread backlash
Fifa has scrapped its plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, after widespread backlash and threats of a boycott.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino proposed the controversial plan in July, declaring that a vote would determine whether or not it would go ahead, but there was anger and concern from many voices in the footballing world, while Uefa said its member countries would boycott the World Cup if the plan went through
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Welsh FA echoes Uefa statement
Another FA has come out and echoed the statement from Uefa earlier this morning.
“The Football Association of Wales supports Uefa’s position regarding a robust review of the Leadership and Governance of Fifa.
“Fifa and its members are custodians of the game, responsible for its long-term growth, development and sustainability. This requires leadership that puts our game first in all of our decisions.”
Norwegian FA urges change in football governance culture from ‘fear and political positioning towards greater openness’
Head of the Norwegian FA Lise Klaveness, who has been a consistent critical voice against Infantino, has expressed a desire to reform the culture around football governance.
“It was absolutely necessary for Gianni Infantino and Fifa to withdraw this proposal,” wrote Klaveness in a statement. “That has now happened, and we are of course pleased with the outcome. It has been reassuring to be part of a strong and united Uefa throughout this process, and I would like to thank the Uefa President for his clear and decisive leadership.
“At the same time, we must acknowledge that the entire framework of international football cooperation was unnecessarily put at risk in pursuit of individual interests rather than the best interests of the game.
“This has been visible to many for a long time, including those of us elected to positions intended to safeguard checks and balances and provide ongoing oversight. We have to recognise that these mechanisms have not worked well enough. The situation ultimately reached a point where the threat of withdrawing teams from Fifa competitions became necessary. We cannot allow ourselves to reach that point again.
“Going forward, all our efforts must be directed towards improving governance. This cannot end as merely another power struggle conducted behind closed doors or through bilateral discussions.
“We must also use this moment to truly live by our own governance principles and to shift the internal culture away from fear and political positioning towards greater openness, where concerns and disagreements can be voiced and addressed, not only during election periods but throughout the years between presidential mandates.
“We will continue to be a clear and constructive voice on the international stage, in line with the strategy adopted by the Norwegian Football Congress.”
English FA urge ‘full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership’
The English FA has backed Uefa’s position from earlier this morning, which declared lost confidence in Gianni Infantino.
The FA are eager for a “full and robust review” of Fifa’s leadership moving forwards.
In a statement, it said: “We fully support Uefa’s position . It is time for a full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart.”
Football has spoken: Gianni Infantino must go
In the aftermath of the World Cup, despite the many issues that had plagued the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Gianni Infantino spoke in tones that suggested he felt invincible.
By delivering record revenues and the “most outstanding” World Cup ever, the Fifa president felt emboldened enough to embark on a victory lap, admonishing his critics from within the stronghold of his Fifa palace, while safe in the knowledge that the structures and mechanisms designed to keep him in power were secure.
Barely a week later, the walls around Infantino are crumbling before our eyes. In overplaying his hand and rushing through proposals to sell stakes in the World Cup and Fifa tournaments to private investors, Infantino has crossed a line from which he may not return. Uefa’s extraordinary decision to boycott the World Cup should Infantino have gotten his way led to two more federations, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, rejecting his proposals.
From there, the Swiss-Italian saw the writing on the wall, with more than enough support to comfortably defeat his proposals if a vote had gone ahead, and he officially scrapped his plans in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Jamie Braidwood makes the case for the end of the Infantino era:
Football has spoken: Gianni Infantino must go
Who could challenge Infantino for Fifa presidency?
The Independent’s Will Castle outlines six candidates that could challenge Infantino for Fifa’s presidency.
6) Arsene Wenger
Now this one is a bit of a long shot, but it might be one to watch.
Legendary former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has become increasingly engrained in the political side of the game in his role as Fifa’s Chief of Global Football Development.
He’s not been scared to try and push through radical change in the past, with his “daylight offside rule” going on trial in Canada earlier this year.
And with some fans now expressing their dismay at his close association with Infantino and therefore this World Cup proposal, could Wenger stand up against the Fifa president to ensure his reputation isn’t sullied?
Who could challenge Infantino for Fifa presidency?
The Independent’s Will Castle outlines six candidates that could challenge Infantino for Fifa’s presidency.
5) Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa
The AFC outwardly opposed Infantino’s plans in a heavy blow for the incumbent Fifa president, losing the support of what was once a loyal stronghold of the Swiss-Italian.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, a Bahraini football administrator who is also senior vice-president of the Fifa Council, branded Fifa’s lack of consultation with its members as “totally unacceptable” in a letter to the regional body’s 47 member federations on Thursday, a day before the confederation came together to reject the proposal.
That subsequent statement notably called for “an urgent review of its governance” to pile more pressure on Infantino. That begs the question: could Sheikh Salman be a potential challenger?
His term as AFC president comes to an end in 2027.
Who could challenge Infantino for Fifa presidency?
The Independent’s Will Castle outlines six candidates that could challenge Infantino for Fifa’s presidency.
4) Victor Montagliani
Away from Uefa, Concacaf president Montagliani has been rumoured as a potential successor to Infantino, with his ambitions to one day become Fifa president well known.
The Canadian was unanimously re-elected to lead the confederation in 2023 and his current term is set to end in 2027. His primary focus thus far has been to seek re-election again next year.
But according to , Montagliani is “making moves” towards expediting his aspirations and challenging Infantino for Fifa’s presidency in next March’s election.
Who could challenge Infantino for Fifa presidency?
The Independent’s Will Castle outlines six candidates that could challenge Infantino for Fifa’s presidency.
3) Dariusz Mioduski
Uefa members are also exploring the possibility of backing Legia Warsaw owner Dariusz Mioduski.
The Polish lawyer has been mooted by senior federation officials within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Spain, according to talkSPORT.
But as of now, he would not be the preferred candidate in his homeland, with Poland’s FA keen on Al-Khelaifi.
Uefa declares loss of confidence in Gianni Infantino as backlash to cancelled World Cup sell-off plan builds
Uefa has declared it has lost confidence in the Fifa leadership as president Gianni Infantino faces open revolt over his controversial scheme to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Fifa was forced to climb down on the plans to open the World Cup to private equity investors late on Friday night after backlash from multiple football federations including Uefa, which voted to boycott Fifa tournaments in protest, as well as from within the governing body itself.
Infantino’s long-term adviser Carlos Cordeiro, a key figure within Fifa, chose to quit in protest over the initial proposals, while Fifa’s chief operating officer said that Infantino “deceived” staff over his plans.
Infantino’s position remains under serious threat despite the climbdown, with Uefa announcing on Saturday that it had lost confidence in his leadership and slamming the “shabby, back room” deal.
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