FIFA President Gianni Infantino is reportedly facing an alliance of continental confederation leaders aiming to force his resignation. According to reports, the heads of UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have formed a bloc united in their opposition to Infantino.
This development follows Infantino's forced abandonment of a controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to a group including Josh Kushner, brother-in-law to former President Donald Trump. The plan faced significant backlash from the global football community, leading UEFA to declare a loss of confidence in Infantino.
Several national football associations have also withdrawn their support for Infantino's re-election bid scheduled for March. Both the English and Welsh Football Associations have publicly rescinded their backing. The Welsh FA cited "recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement" as reasons for their decision, stating that Infantino has lost their confidence.
Serbia, Sweden, and Finland have also withdrawn their support, though countries like Morocco, Qatar, and Sri Lanka have reportedly backed Infantino. He is believed to currently have the support of approximately 15 nations, a significant drop from earlier this year when he was understood to have the backing of nearly all 211 FIFA members.
If Infantino refuses to step down, the allied confederations are reportedly prepared to "paralyse FIFA." Plans include potentially staging rival international competitions and imposing a "government boycott" of FIFA decisions, which would involve refusing to ratify FIFA decisions or participate in council and committee meetings.
A source told The Times that the group is "very determined he needs to go, and if not we will take all the necessary steps [to remove him from power]." The source added, "That includes future international competitions - would the big South American countries prefer to play France or Spain, or Lebanon or Djibouti? Everyone is very determined, there are no backward steps now."
Infantino is reportedly fighting for his position and held discussions with the White House on Monday. UEFA has also sent Infantino a legal letter threatening action over the abandoned World Cup stake deal and demanding the preservation of documents related to the plan, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The letter warns that any destruction of relevant materials could constitute spoliation of evidence.
Infantino needs 106 votes to win re-election. The deadline for candidates to come forward is November 18. A significant number of nations calling for his resignation could potentially lead to an emergency FIFA council meeting.