FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s presidency has reached a boiling point as UEFA is reportedly on the brink of withdrawing support and demanding the chief resign, with sources confirming various high-ranking figures in European football pushing for Infantino’s removal.
The reports also indicate that CONCACAF member nations will not back Infantino’s bid for reelection next month. This comes weeks after Infantino was forced to backpedal on his ambitious but widely controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise, which involved offering a minority stake in FIFA’s commercial operations and premier competitions like the World Cup to outside investors.
The scheme provoked outcry around the world; UEFA expressed that it would pull support from FIFA competitions if the plan were greenlighted, while even the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF issued condemnations with concerns around governance, transparency, and the direction of sport in the future.
Within FIFA, it has already been too far. The organization’s top advisor, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest of Infantino’s plans, and FIFA Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, publicly blasted the proposal in an unprecedented show of dissent among a governing body.
Now that Infantino has pulled the plug, criticism toward the FIFA president continues as reports suggest UEFA’s desire to remove him intensifies, and CONCACAF has demanded a review of Infantino’s leadership.
UEFA has become fed up with Infantino’s tactics, and even his support from regions like Africa appears to be fraying at the edges, as they join other Football federations and FIFA members calling for action against the former UEFA executive director, potentially leading to Infantino being forced from office.
