Gianni Infantino’s presidency of FIFA is facing a severe crisis as football associations across the globe unite to challenge his leadership. The backlash follows the sudden withdrawal of a controversial private investment plan that had been proposed by FIFA on Tuesday.
The abandoned proposal sought to raise as much as $4.2 billion by leveraging a $20 billion valuation for a new commercial subsidiary known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). This entity was intended to manage major tournaments, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup. Had the project proceeded, FIFA claimed it would have provided each of its 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, while increasing funding allocations for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has been at the forefront of the opposition during a tumultuous week for football’s global governing body. In a stern statement issued shortly after FIFA retracted the plan, UEFA announced that the current FIFA leadership has lost the confidence of both UEFA and many other members of the football family. The European body criticized the use of secret schemes and fast-track timelines, describing them as being developed by faceless individuals with dubious benefits for the sport. UEFA vowed to identify those responsible and work with other confederations to ensure such occurrences are prevented in the future, noting that "no option should be off the table."
UEFA further accused Infantino of failing to deliver on the transparency promises he made during his 2016 election campaign. The governing body emphasized that FIFA’s funds belong to the member associations rather than the FIFA President, and argued that with reserves exceeding $5 billion, Infantino has failed to utilize these resources effectively for the benefit of the game.
The criticism extended beyond Europe. CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer, demanded a comprehensive reckoning regarding the presidency, explicitly citing poor governance and leadership. CONCACAF stated that the plan was advanced without proper consultation, transparency, or due process, asserting that leadership carries a duty of service that must be upheld. Where that duty is not upheld, the organization noted, accountability cannot be optional.
National associations have also added their voices to the call for change. The English Football Association (FA) called for a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently. Meanwhile, the German FA (DFB) advocated for a complete overhaul, stressing the need for a fundamentally different culture at FIFA where decisions are once again discussed and finalized by members within the governing bodies.
