Gianni Infantino is facing growing pressure to resign as president of FIFA or confront a no-confidence vote that could remove him from office, after UEFA made clear it no longer supports his leadership.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, all 55 national associations that make up UEFA are prepared to vote against Infantino remaining in the role if he refuses to step down. The European governing body needs the backing of only 43 associations to call for an official no-confidence vote.
UEFA has publicly declared that it has lost confidence in the way Infantino is running FIFA and has called for fundamental change at world football’s governing body.
The dispute follows Infantino’s withdrawal from the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise project. The proposal was intended to create a new commercial organisation and allow part of the rights to the World Cup to be sold to private-sector investors.
The plan faced widespread opposition across football, while resistance also emerged from within FIFA itself. Some employees reportedly described the initiative as an attempt to “kill the spirit of the game”.
Infantino’s decision to abandon the project came after the backlash intensified. UEFA’s position has since developed into a broader demand for a full examination of FIFA’s leadership and governance arrangements, rather than being limited to the proposed commercial structure.
The Football Association has joined UEFA in supporting that call. England’s governing body said it fully backed the European body’s position and wanted a comprehensive review of the way FIFA is led and governed.
In a statement, the Football Association said: “We fully support UEFA’s position. The time has come for a comprehensive and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance, to ensure that global football is run transparently, in the interests of all 211 national associations, with the long-term future of the game at the heart of decision-making.”
The statement places the future of FIFA’s leadership and its internal decision-making processes at the centre of the growing dispute. It also shows that opposition to Infantino is not confined to UEFA, with the Football Association publicly aligning itself with the demand for change.
UEFA’s potential route to a no-confidence vote depends on securing the support of 43 of its 55 member associations. If that threshold is reached, a formal vote could be called. The source article does not state when such a vote might take place or what the result would be.
For now, Infantino remains FIFA president, but the pressure on him has increased significantly following the collapse of FIFA Forward Enterprise, the criticism from inside football and UEFA’s public rejection of his leadership. The European governing body’s position is that FIFA requires a major review, while the Football Association says greater transparency and stronger governance are necessary to protect the long-term interests of the sport.
