UEFA has told FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign or face an emergency no-confidence vote, following the collapse of his controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup to private investors.
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All 55 UEFA member associations are reportedly prepared to support a no-confidence vote against Infantino if he refuses to step down. UEFA needs only 43 votes to trigger the motion.
European football’s governing body declared a loss of confidence in Infantino on Saturday morning after FIFA was forced to abandon the proposed £15bn World Cup commercial sell-off plan, which had triggered widespread opposition across world football.
The revolt followed what FIFA insiders reportedly described as a “kill the monster” campaign against the proposal, while **CON which had triggered widespread opposition across world football.
The revolt followed what FIFA insiders reportedly described as a “kill the monster” campaign againstCACAF**, the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, also demanded change, accusing Infantino of an “egregious act of poor governance and leadership.”
The Football Association backed UEFA’s position, saying it was 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 associations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart.
In a strongly worded statement, UEFA accused FIFA’s current leadership of losing the confidence of Europe and several other members of the football family.
“We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account,” UEFA said.
UEFA said it would work with its associations and other confederations in the coming days and weeks to review how the proposal emerged and to develop a plan to ensure such a process does not happen again.
“That review should be thorough and fundamental. No option should be off the table. The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” the statement added.
UEFA also used Infantino’s own 2016 campaign promises against him, recalling that he had pledged transparency and said FIFA’s money belonged to member associations and should be used for football development, not for the benefit of the FIFA president.
According to UEFA, Infantino failed on both promises, describing the abandoned proposal as a “shabby, backroom, opaque deal” that was anything but transparent.
UEFA further argued that with FIFA reserves reportedly standing at over $5bn, Infantino had failed to properly use associations’ money for the benefit of the game.
The body said it would immediately begin work with stakeholders across the world to propose a new way of distributing resources through the existing FIFA Forward programme, insisting that football does not need to “sell off the family silver” to fund grassroots development.
“This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun,” UEFA said.
CONCACAF was equally critical, saying recent events showed that the future of the FIFA World Cup, described as the greatest asset in world football, had been advanced outside established governance frameworks and without transparency, consultation or due process.
“A proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first,” CONCACAF said.
It added that the incident followed a pattern of missteps and similar conduct, calling for a full review of FIFA’s leadership.
“FIFA is not a private enterprise. It is a body held in trust for the game and its members. Those appointed to serve it carry a fiduciary duty, a duty of service over power. Where that duty is not upheld, accountability cannot be optional,” CONCACAF said.
The crisis was sparked by Infantino’s proposal to sell part of the commercial rights of FIFA’s leading men’s and women’s competitions to private investors through a new structure known as FIFA Forward Enterprise.
The plan reportedly involved selling 30 per cent of World Cup commercial rights to private investors, while another account of the proposal said FIFA intended to sell 20 per cent of a new commercial company to investors to raise funds.
Infantino had argued that the proposal would enable FIFA to increase payments to member associations under the FIFA Forward programme from $8m to $20m over the next four-year cycle, alongside a one-off $20m bonus for associations that signed up by the September 19 deadline.
However, critics described the offer as a form of patronage designed to keep Infantino in office, while UEFA accused FIFA of trying to trade away football’s soul.
On Thursday, all 55 UEFA member associations, including the English FA, voted unanimously to boycott the World Cup if the proposal went ahead.
CONCACAF nations later followed UEFA’s position, while the Asian Football Confederation also resisted the plan, saying it stood in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF to protect the FIFA World Cup.
Once the AFC joined the opposition, Infantino was reportedly unable to secure more than 50 per cent support from FIFA’s 211 member associations, forcing the plan to be abandoned.
The revolt deepened on Friday when Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, resigned in protest against the proposal, while FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, reportedly told staff they had been “deceived.”
Further political pressure came after Andy Burnham called for Infantino to step down, while United States President Donald Trump, a close ally of Infantino, reportedly said he had not been consulted on the plan.
Infantino had been expected to be re-elected unopposed for a third full term at the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, next March. However, the crisis may now open the door for a challenger.
Although Infantino is said to have already secured more than 200 letters of support from member associations endorsing his re-election campaign, those endorsements can be withdrawn. The deadline for other candidates to declare interest in the FIFA presidency is November 18.
European officials are reportedly considering potential challengers, including Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, and Asian Football Confederation President Salman al-Khalifa, who narrowly lost to Infantino in the 2016 FIFA election.
Despite the growing opposition, Infantino received support from the Qatar Football Association.
Its president, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, welcomed Infantino’s decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, saying it was done 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,” he said.
The withdrawal of the proposal has halted the immediate threat of a World Cup boycott, but the crisis has now shifted to Infantino’s leadership and FIFA’s governance structure.
For UEFA, CONCACAF and other critics, the issue is no longer only plan, but whether the current FIFA leadership can still be trusted to protect football’s most valuable asset and govern the game transparently.
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