FIFA President Gianni Infantino has received a boost in his bid to remain in power after four Asian nations publicly declared their support, following the withdrawal of a controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. The move comes as UEFA and CONCACAF have called for Infantino's resignation.
UEFA, in partnership with CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), had pressured Infantino to abandon plans to sell a £3.1 billion stake in the World Cup to private investors. While UEFA and CONCACAF have since called for Infantino to step down, their efforts to remove the Swiss football administrator have encountered resistance. Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Lebanon have reiterated their confidence in his leadership, complicating any move to depose him.
UEFA and CONCACAF represent 90 of FIFA's 211 member associations. While this number is sufficient to trigger a vote of no confidence, it falls short of the majority required to unseat the president. Infantino appears to retain support from African nations, and South America is also expected to align with him. This leaves the AFC members in a position to significantly influence the outcome.
The AFC, in a statement welcoming the decision to abandon the private equity proposal, did not directly challenge Infantino's presidency. The reinforcement of support from Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Lebanon suggests Infantino maintains considerable backing across Asia. The remaining 40 AFC member associations have not yet commented publicly, implying alignment with the AFC's statement.
Australia, also an AFC member, welcomed the withdrawal of the investment plan, stating that "attention must now turn to the future." While UEFA and CONCACAF have enough support to force a vote of no confidence, they currently lack the numbers for removal. Public opposition accounts for 43 percent of FIFA's membership, below the majority needed to oust Infantino.
UEFA expressed its approval of FIFA's decision to retract the proposal to sell stakes in its competitions, including the World Cup, to private entities. UEFA's national associations, along with numerous other federations and confederations globally, had unanimously rejected the plan. UEFA criticized the "secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game," and called for accountability. The organization indicated it would work with its associations and other confederations to review the situation and prevent future occurrences.
UEFA stated that the current FIFA leadership "has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family." They described the proposal as a "shabby, back-room, opaque deal" and declared the withdrawal a "victory for the whole game" but emphasized that rebuilding trust in FIFA is an ongoing task.
Many European nations, including England, Wales, the Netherlands, and Norway, endorsed UEFA's position. A spokesperson for the English FA stated, "We fully support UEFA's position. It is 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 nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart."
CONCACAF also welcomed the withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and commended its 41 member associations and the broader football family for their "courage and unity." The confederation stated that the proposal's progression indicated "leadership that has stopped putting football first" and pointed to a pattern of "unilateral and egregious act[s] of poor governance and leadership."
CONCACAF added that the concern is shared across many confederations and member associations, and that the football family is entitled to question how such a proposal was allowed to proceed and who bears responsibility.