Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino is intensifying, with senior figures within world football reportedly urging him to resign as opposition to his leadership spreads despite his withdrawal from a controversial plan to partly privatise FIFA competitions.
British journalist Ben Jacobs said on Sunday on X that UEFA is preparing to withdraw its written support for Infantino in full, while members of CONCACAF are also expected to take the same step.
Jacobs added that several senior FIFA officials are backing calls for Infantino to leave office. They believe a no-confidence vote could be considered if he refuses to stand down.
The reported challenge comes after Infantino abandoned a proposal to create a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have brought together FIFA’s commercial activities and tournament operations. The plan also included the possibility of selling a stake in the company to private-sector investors.
The proposal faced resistance from several major confederations. UEFA had warned that it would boycott FIFA competitions if Infantino continued with the project, while the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF also opposed the idea.
The dispute led to the resignation of American Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to the FIFA president. The proposal was also criticised by Frenchman Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer.
Infantino eventually announced that the plan would be withdrawn in response to the backlash from across the football world. However, the decision has not ended the criticism directed at him.
UEFA now appears determined to remove Infantino from the FIFA presidency, while CONCACAF has called for a “review of the FIFA presidency”. The growing disagreement has raised the prospect of a formal attempt to challenge Infantino’s position if he does not resign voluntarily.
Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 and has since overseen an expansion of the organisation’s commercial and tournament ambitions. The abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was intended to combine those areas within a single structure while allowing outside investors to acquire part of the business.
The plan’s collapse has therefore failed to resolve the wider dispute over the direction of FIFA. Instead, opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and senior officials within FIFA has continued, leaving Infantino facing renewed questions over his future as football’s governing body’s president.
