Fifa president Gianni Infantino is facing an unprecedented challenge to his leadership after Uefa and Concacaf said they had lost confidence in him following the collapse of a proposed $4.2bn deal involving World Cup commercial rights.
The plan, which would have sold stakes to private investors in a new unit responsible for managing Fifa events including the World Cup, was abandoned after regional confederations complained they had not been consulted.
The dispute has intensified concerns about Infantino’s leadership style and could damage his hopes of securing a fourth term as Fifa president. Football officials are now calling for greater scrutiny of decisions that could affect the governance and commercial future of the sport.
Uefa, representing 55 member associations, unanimously rejected the proposal earlier this week. On Saturday it described Fifa’s decision to withdraw it as a “victory for the whole game” but warned that restoring confidence in the governing body would be a lengthy process.
“The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” Uefa said in a statement.
“Uefa thanks all the fans, leagues, clubs, players, individuals, associations and confederations that opposed the scheme, alongside the many prime ministers, heads of state and commentators who have demonstrated to the Fifa president that football is not for sale.
“We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.”
Concacaf, the confederation for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, said the proposal had been progressed outside normal governance procedures and without transparency, consultation or due process.
“A proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first,” it said.
“This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative.”
Fifa and Infantino declined to comment on Uefa’s statement.
Uefa also referred to commitments Infantino made when he was elected Fifa president in 2016, including promises to operate transparently and to ensure Fifa’s funds were used for the benefit of its member associations.
“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back-room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent,” Uefa added.
“And with reserves standing at over $5bn, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game.
“Uefa will begin work immediately with partners and stakeholders all over the world and right across the game to propose a new way of distributing resources through the existing Fifa Forward programme.”
The Dutch FA said the process had caused a “fundamental breach of trust” in Infantino, while German FA president Bernd Neuendorf accused the Swiss official of acting “unilaterally and without transparency” and failing to put football’s interests first.
Javier Tebas, president of Spanish LaLiga, went further by calling for Infantino to resign. He said withdrawing the proposal was positive but did not address what he viewed as a wider governance problem.
“The problem was never just one proposal. The problem is a governance model that concentrates power, reduces checks and balances and marginalises those directly affected by its decisions,” he said on social media.
“I believe that Gianni Infantino should not continue in charge of Fifa. World football needs new leadership to modernise its governance, regain institutional credibility and make future decisions in consultation with those involved.”
There was, however, support for Infantino from Qatar, which said the proposal had merit and backed his efforts. Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), welcomed the withdrawal but reiterated his support for Infantino.
Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa also welcomed Fifa’s reversal. Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman said initiatives with the potential to affect global football must be considered openly by the confederations, Fifa Council, member associations and other stakeholders.
He expected such proposals to be discussed “in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner”.
“The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game.”
Infantino announced the proposed commercial structure on Tuesday, prompting immediate opposition from regional confederations that said they had not been involved in discussions over a move that could reshape world football’s financial model.
After the criticism, Infantino said Fifa had dropped the proposal after listening “carefully to all the views”.
The controversy comes as Infantino prepares to seek re-election for the 2027-31 term. He confirmed in April that he intended to stand for a fourth term at Fifa’s Congress in March in Morocco.
Since succeeding Sepp Blatter in 2016, Infantino has been re-elected unopposed twice and had appeared to retain firm control of the organisation. His latest re-election had been widely viewed as a formality, but the failed rights proposal has exposed dissatisfaction among some Fifa members, according to experts who spoke to Reuters.
“He’s obviously been kind of egomaniacal in everything that he’s done. I know that he’s rubbed many of the member associations the wrong way with some of his decisions,” said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst.
The reversal has been especially notable because it came less than two weeks after Infantino celebrated what had been described as the most commercially successful World Cup in history.
“As close as two weeks ago, he’s riding on top of the world, the most successful sports mega event in the history of this planet,” said Victor Matheson, an economist and sports business expert at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
“And just two weeks later, he’s fighting for his political life.”
