Gianni Infantino: How Risky Is the FIFA President’s Position After Allegations of ‘Selling Football’?
Image Source, PA Media
While a week is considered a long time in politics, it is even more consequential in football politics.
Until Tuesday morning, Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president seemed unshakable.
However, after he proposed partially selling the ownership rights of FIFA competitions to private investment groups, his position has come under serious threat. Reports indicate he pushed this proposal forward without informing others.
Despite retracting the proposal following widespread criticism, the opposition has not subsided.
A Blow from Europe
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has been a harsh critic of Infantino’s plans.
Last Thursday, UEFA dealt a significant blow by threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in opposition to Infantino’s proposal.
European football authorities are reportedly considering seizing this opportunity to remove Infantino—possibly his last chance to continue leading.
Disappointment with Infantino extends well beyond Europe.
The Concacaf, FIFA’s confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean, has called for a “comprehensive review” of FIFA’s leadership. Infantino is closely linked with this confederation and co-hosted the 2026 World Cup with them recently.
Another significant problem for Infantino is the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) siding against him, although it consists of nations expected to support him strongly.
Two of Infantino’s close senior officials—Senior Advisor Carlos Cordero and Chief Administration Officer Kevin Lamore—have also withdrawn their support.
Infantino withdrew his proposal early Saturday, but UEFA issued another strong statement expressing diminished confidence in his leadership.
What Happens Next?
Is Infantino’s position now at real risk?
The quickest way for Infantino to leave office would be to resign, as his predecessor Sepp Blatter did in 2015.
However, Infantino still has supporters and could remain in office until March, when he is eligible to run for a fourth and final term as FIFA president.
There are other options to remove him. The FIFA Council can convene an emergency meeting to push him out.
Such a meeting requires the support of 19 out of the 37 council members to be called.
The council includes nine members from UEFA, seven from AFC, five from Concacaf, six from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), five from the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), three from Oceania, plus Infantino himself and General Secretary Matthias Grafström.
However, there are doubts about meeting the required 19 votes.
Image Source, Reuters
If at least 19 council members back it, an emergency meeting must be held within two weeks. The council can request Infantino to resign, but he could refuse.
Still, it would place significant pressure on him.
Another option would be to convene an extraordinary FIFA Congress, which requires a written request from at least 20% (43) of the 211 member associations.
Among them, UEFA has 55 member associations who can initiate the process at any time.
Such a Congress could take place at least two months later but is not guaranteed to succeed.
To pass a vote of no confidence against the FIFA president, a majority of at least 106 votes is needed.
UEFA holds 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11, and CONMEBOL 10 votes respectively.
So far, Africa, CONMEBOL, and Oceania have not criticized Infantino’s plans.
Could UEFA muster the 106 votes? While 136 nations opposed Infantino’s investment plan, opposing him and removing him are very different matters.
Among them, Qatar has publicly expressed support for Infantino, while Mexico has distanced itself from Concacaf’s stance.
The Election Alternative
Another option is to identify a candidate to replace Infantino in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next March.
Infantino was elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Any challenger must declare their candidacy by 18 November.
If UEFA and Infantino’s harsh critics choose an electoral path, they will need to find a candidate capable of uniting all factions.
A European candidate might struggle to secure global support due to concerns that Europe would attempt to dominate FIFA.
On Saturday, Infantino stated he aims to unite all key stakeholders in the coming days.
His apologetic approach may help mitigate the current crisis.
This seems somewhat effective: After Qatar’s backing, Morocco, co-host of the 2030 World Cup, has publicly endorsed Infantino, and Egypt praised him for scrapping the plan.
Infantino believes that securing more member associations’ support could help him avoid a vote of no confidence.
There are at least three months until the no-confidence vote, providing Infantino a window to improve his standing.
UEFA’s primary question remains whether there is any way to resolve the issue without forcing Infantino to resign.
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