FIFA President Gianni Infantino is fighting to retain his position after a controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors for £3.1 billion collapsed within days.
The proposal, which would have created a subsidiary company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage flagship events like the World Cup with potential investment from a group led by US venture capital company Thrive Eternal, faced immediate backlash.
UEFA, representing Europe's 54 football associations including the English FA, issued a strong statement calling the plan a "profound failure of leadership" and stating, "None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell."
UEFA also threatened a boycott of the World Cup if Infantino did not abandon the plans. The confederations of CONCACAF (North, Central America, and Caribbean) and the Asian Football Confederation followed, expressing "deep concerns about the lack of due process" and criticizing FIFA's consultation and decision-making processes.
Infantino initially doubled down, with FIFA issuing a statement insisting "nobody is selling football." However, opposition grew rapidly, with Infantino needing a majority of FIFA's 211 member nations to approve the proposal, but indications were that 136 nations opposed him.
Adding to the pressure, two senior FIFA officials publicly distanced themselves from the plan. Carlos Cordeiro, FIFA's representative on the World Cup taskforce and a key ally of Infantino, stated he "unequivocally" opposed the deal, calling it "a bad deal for FIFA's member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."
FIFA's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, resigned, claiming Infantino had "deceived" his administration and accusing him of a "lie by omission." Lamour criticized the plan as "the project of one person" and called for a re-evaluation of FIFA's leadership.
In the early hours of Saturday, Infantino announced the proposals were scrapped, stating it was "clear that the project has created divisions" and was no longer in the interest of the original objective.
However, the fallout continued. UEFA declared a vote of no confidence in Infantino, criticizing the "shabby, back-room, opaque deal he hatched" and vowing to work with other confederations to "identify those responsible and hold them to account."
Infantino, who has been in power for 10 years and was widely expected to win a fourth term unopposed, now faces potential challenges. With dwindling support and UEFA's strong opposition, rival candidates like CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, FIFA general secretary Mattias Granstrom, and Dari Adams Mioduski are emerging as potential contenders.