FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under increasing fire from continental governing bodies on Saturday despite scrapping a widely-derided plan to allow private investment in the World Cup.
European football’s governing body UEFA had led the opposition to the plan by threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions if it went ahead.
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Although welcoming the withdrawal of the proposal, UEFA said that Infantino had lost their “confidence” and that of other members of the football family with a “shabby, back room, opaque deal”.
North and Central American football’s governing body CONCACAF went further still and called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency” while slamming Infantino’s “poor governance and leadership”.
Their responses came hours after Infantino had issued a statement announcing the humiliating climb-down after a furious backlash since the plan was first revealed on Tuesday.
“Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve,” Infantino, who hopes to be re-elected next year for a final term, said in a statement.
“As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
FIFA, world football’s governing body, had floated the plan on Tuesday, saying it could raise up to US$4.2 billion based on a valuation of US$20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
It said that, if approved, the project could provide each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of US$20 million in early 2027, and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from US$8 million to US$20 million.
The Times reported that whistleblowers said Infantino had his eyes on a salary of US$30 million plus bonuses from the FFE plan.
– Infantino ‘has failed’ –
UEFA, though, said the plan showed that Infantino could not be trusted. “The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” read UEFA’s statement.
UEFA said that the 56-year-old Swiss had broken promises he made when he successfully first sought election in 2016 — namely to be “transparent” and that FIFA’s money was “your (the member associations) money” and “not the money of the FIFA President”.
“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver,” said UEFA. “The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent.
“And with reserves standing at over $5bn, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game.”
CONCACAF, which includes all three co-hosts of the recently concluded 2026 World Cup — the United States, Canada and Mexico — weighed in with its own damning assessment of Infantino’s actions.
“This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour,” it said in a statement.
Infantino’s plan had “advanced outside every established governance framework, without transparency, consultation or due process.”
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which represents 47 member nations, urged FIFA to follow the right procedures.
Any initiative that may impact global football should be “presented and discussed with the Confederations, the FIFA Council, Member Associations (MAs) and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner,” the Kuala Lumpur-based body said in a statement.
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– Plan ‘created divisions’ –
It was not just continental bodies condemning the move.
English football’s Football Association (FA) said there should be “a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently”.
The German FA (DFB) called for a complete overhaul within FIFA. “Together with UEFA and other confederations, we must ensure that a fundamentally different culture takes hold at FIFA — a culture where, above all, decisions are once again discussed and made by members within the governing bodies.”
La Liga president Javier Tebas also issued a strong statement calling for Infantino’s removal.
“The problem was never a single proposal. The problem is a governance model that concentrates power, reduces checks and balances, and sidelines those directly affected by its decisions,” Tebas said.
“For all these reasons, I believe Gianni Infantino must not continue at the helm of FIFA.
“World football needs new leadership that modernises its governance, recovers institutional credibility, and builds future decisions by agreeing them with the involved actors, previously evaluating their sporting, economic, and social impact, rather than imposing them unilaterally. Withdrawing a proposal does not erase everything that has happened. It is only the tip of the iceberg.”
However, Infantino did receive some backing from Moroccan federation president Fouzi Lekjaa, who praised his “wise” move to scrap the plan in the interests of “unity and cohesion”.
He reiterated his backing for Infantino for “all the initiatives aimed at the development of world football”.
Infantino also received support from the Qatar FA.
Infantino resided in Doha in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup and infamously backed The Gulf nation before the tournament by responding to human right concerns with his speech of: “Today I feel Qatari, today I feel Arab, today I feel African, today I feel gay, today I feel disabled, today I feel a migrant worker.”
The Qatar FA’s president, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, said: “We welcome FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal in the interest of the global football community.
“While the proposal had merit, we applaud the wisdom behind prioritising unity among Member Associations. The Qatar Football Association fully supports President Infantino’s efforts to continue growing and strengthening the game globally.”
Reports emerged in recent days that PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi, who is chairman of beIN Media Group and the state-owned Qatar Sports Investments, was being touted as a potential replacement for Infantino.
But that statement surely makes it unlikely that a potential successor will come form Qatar.
In the statement announcing that the plan was dead, Infantino said the project was conceived as a means of strengthening member associations.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he said.
The beleaguered Infantino said he would focus on restoring harmony while continuing to grow the game.
Football Australia also released a statement, saying they too will turn their attention to the future.
“Football Australia welcomes FIFA’s decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal,” the statement read.
“The discussions of recent days have reinforced an important principle of good governance: proposals of global significance should be developed through robust consultation, appropriate governance processes and meaningful engagement with Member Associations before they are presented for consideration.
“Football has never stood still, nor should it. Some principles, however, should never change. Integrity. Independence. Good governance. Transparency. Meaningful consultation. Due process.
“These are not constraints on progress. They are what make lasting progress possible. Ultimately, the strength of football’s institutions depends on the confidence and trust of the global football family. That trust is earned not simply through good decisions, but through the integrity of the processes that lead to them.
“Our attention must now turn to the future.”
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