UEFA finds itself in a challenging position as it seeks to remove FIFA President Gianni Infantino, facing difficulties in garnering enough support for its proposed actions. Despite efforts to exert pressure, Infantino has shown no indication of stepping down voluntarily. European football's governing body appears to be an outlier in its struggle to find widespread backing to oust the FIFA president.
While some national federations have voiced support for Infantino, citing his leadership from Gambia has praised his "courage." Jordan is reportedly the only country that had not previously supported Infantino and has publicly stated it will not vote for his re-election in March. Concacaf, the confederation for North, Central American and Caribbean association football, issued a statement after a proposal was aborted but did not go as far as UEFA in stating a loss of confidence in Infantino. CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has indicated it will not support actions that disregard FIFA's established mechanisms ahead of the presidential election.
UEFA's preferred route was to convene an emergency meeting of the FIFA Council to hold Infantino accountable. However, securing the required 19 out of 36 confederation and association heads to support such a meeting has proven difficult. Another option considered by UEFA is a vote of no confidence through an extraordinary congress, which would require a majority of FIFA's 211 member associations – 106 votes – to pass. This would essentially function as a presidential election without a second candidate. If UEFA believes it cannot secure the necessary votes, triggering such a motion may be seen as unproductive.
The possibility of finding a unity candidate to challenge Infantino in the March election has also been discussed, with Concacaf president Victor Montagliani being considered a potential contender. However, any delay in decisive action allows Infantino time to consolidate support, potentially aided by new funding initiatives for member associations expected from FIFA by year's end.
UEFA has also kept the option of a boycott on the table, a significant measure that carries its own complexities. While potentially effective, its repeated use could be perceived as disregarding the concerns of other member associations globally. Using it to reject a proposal differs from using it to remove a sitting president.
UEFA's resolve will soon be tested with the FIFA Women's U20 World Cup set to begin on September 5 in Poland, featuring six European countries, including England.