Gianni Infantino is under mounting pressure from football federations as well as from within Fifa after Uefa’s boycott of the World Cup left his plans to privatise its tournaments in tatters.
Infantino’s long-term adviser Carlos Cordeiro, a key figure within Fifa, has quit in protest of Infantino’s proposals, while Fifa’s chief operating officer has said that Infantino “deceived” staff over his plans. The Asian Football Confederation, meanwhile, has become the third federation to reject them publicly, releasing a strong statement on Friday backing the stance of Uefa and Concacaf, while claiming that confidence in Fifa’s governance has been “undermined”.
Donald Trump meanwhile told reporters on Friday that he has 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, is expected to lead the proposed investor group.
Earlier Fifa hit back at Uefa, insisting that “nobody is selling football” and confirming that it will continue its consultation period ahead of a vote on 19 September. But after another federation joined Uefa’s side, Infantino looks unlikely to get the votes he needs and is instead facing growing opposition to his leadership.
On Thursday, Uefa announced that it would boycott the World Cup and all Fifa competitions if Infantino’s controversial plans to sell off stakes in its major tournaments to external investors are voted through.
Follow all the latest news after Uefa’s bombshell boycott threat, below
Polish FA confident boycott talks will not affect under-20 Women’s World Cup
The Polish FA, which is set to host the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, has tried to downplay concerns that the event could be affected by a possible Uefa boycott.
Polish FA general secretary Lukasz Wachowski told PA: “As the host association, we are fully prepared to deliver the tournament and continue to implement all necessary preparations in line with the agreed schedule.
“We remain in close contact with our partners at UEFA and are working in accordance with our joint arrangements.
“We believe that the current situation will be resolved swiftly, allowing young players from across the world to compete in Poland in a tournament that, for many of them, will represent the fulfilment of a dream and an important milestone in their sporting careers.”
Ex-England international says Uefa boycott necessary to “protect football”
Asante also told the BBC: “[Fifa] have expected everyone to just get on board with what they wanted to do. Now they are dealing with the aftermath of a decision that they’ve made without any consultation with the national federations. So that’s the big issue.
“The second issue is the reasoning. As a European entity it’s clear from our perspective that the reasoning is only to drive financial gain. But ultimately, as a result, the first casualties will be women’s football tournaments, that have obviously built such great momentum in terms of growth, visibility, accessibility and also playing opportunities. That’s what’s so frustrating for players.
“You can’t take for granted the opportunity to play in the World Cup. Every player gets to try to live that or fulfil that ambition, or even to qualify. I don’t think FIFA have considered the implications of their decision.”
The Women’s World Cup is set to take place in Brazil next summer, although if Uefa act on their threat to boycott Fifa tournaments, the viability of the tournament will be in serious doubt.
Ex-England international says Uefa boycott necessary to “protect football”
Former England international Anita Asante said the threat of a UEFA boycott over Fifa’s plans to sell stakes in the World Cup could be necessary to “protect football”.
Asante wrote on X, “Just to reiterate that I am fully supportive of the boycott because we have to protect football. My point is that this is up to FIFA now but women’s football could be the first casualty if this isn’t resolved asap.”
The next major Fifa tournament is the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which starts on September 5; the under-17 edition kicks off the following month.
The senior World Cup qualifying campaign also continues this autumn with play-off games in October. Several figures, including Asante, have expressed concern that the women’s game would be the first to suffer as a result of the fallout from Infantino’s plans.
Could Gianni Infantino face a challenge at next year’s election?
Gianni Infantino had been thought set to stand unopposed at next year’s Fifa presidential elections as he closed in on a fourth term – but could he now face a challenge?
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been mooted as one possible figure to stand and may have Uefa backing.
Infantino is coming under more scrutiny after this proposal with his senior advisor quitting and the AFC calling Fifa’s leadership and guidance into question.
Is Infantino’s grip on the Fifa presidency slipping?
Czech FA president abandons support for World Cup sell-off
Czech FA president David Trunda has abandoned his support for Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan after uniting with the rest of Uefa’s member associations to agree a boycott.
Trunda was the only European football chief to publicly endorse Fifa’s privatisation scheme but following an executive meeting of the Czech FA, he has reversed his decision, per Sky News.
Trunda signed off on a series of resolutions, which say:
- The Football Association of the Czech Republic rejects the Fifa president’s proposal to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise and to transfer ownership interests in the Fifa World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.
- The Football Association of the Czech Republic fully endorses the statement issued by Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin and the 55 Uefa member associations on 30 July 2026.
- The Football Association of the Czech Republic reaffirms its support for Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin and Uefa in future discussions with Fifa regarding the Fifa President’s proposal to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise and to transfer ownership interests in the Fifa World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.
What could a World Cup look like without European teams?
European countries ‘will not participate’ in any Fifa competition if Gianni Infantino’s plans to privitise the World Cup go through and Jamie Braidwood goes through what a tournament without the European nations would look like.
Read more here:
Has the World Cup been boycotted before?
Uefa’s extraordinary threat to boycott the World Cup over Fifa’s plans to sell off stakes in the tournament is significant news – but there is precedent for teams and continental bodies taking a stance against the competition.
European football’s governing power voted on Thursday to boycott World Cups over controversial proposals put forward by Fifa president Gianni Infantino to sell off stakes in football’s showpiece event.
Donald Trump says he didn’t speak to Gianni Infantino about sell-off plans
Donald Trump told reporters at Camp David on Friday that he hadn’t spoken to Fifa president Gianni Infantino about the plans to open the World Cup to private investment.
That’s in spite of the the pair’s close relationship and the fact that the proposed investor group would be led by the Thrive Eternal venture capital firm which was founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
‘Nobody is selling football’: Fifa issues response to Uefa’s threat of World Cup boycott
Football’s governing body wants to sell minority stakes in the World Cup to private investors – a move which has drawn criticism from member associations.
Fifa have issued their response to concerns over the proposal and claimed that ‘nobody is selling football’.
Read more here:
Uefa confirm plans to boycott Fifa competitions
Uefa’s emergency meeting yielded an action plan from the 55 member associations and who accused Fifa of ‘governance by intimidation’ and confirmed plans to boycott competitions.
“Uefa and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors,” Uefa’s statement read.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.
“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.
“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a “democratic decision”, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.
“But our opposition goes far beyond process.”
