UEFA Pulls Confidence in FIFA's Infantino
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- UEFA declared it has 'lost confidence' in Infantino's leadership and threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, less than two weeks after he jointly handed the World Cup trophy to Spain alongside Donald Trump on 19 July
- AFC issued a statement saying the scrapped private investment plan 'exposed fundamental weaknesses in Fifa's consultation and decision-making processes,' with the 46-member Asian confederation backing the criticism and sources telling BBC Sport that the vast majority of Concacaf members are also losing faith
- Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's special adviser who was also appointed by Donald Trump as senior adviser to the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, resigned over the controversy
- Fifa COO Kevin Lamour told the Associated Press that FIFA's own administration was 'deceived' about the private investment project
- Named potential successors are Victor Montagliani (Concacaf president, fluent in four languages, key to the 2026 World Cup), Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (AFC president who lost to Infantino 115-88 in 2016), Nasser Al-Khelaifi (PSG president and European Football Clubs chair — though a source says he 'genuinely, genuinely, genuinely doesn't want the job'), and Mattias Grafstrom (FIFA secretary general, formerly Infantino's chief of staff)
- Fifa's 77th Congress in Morocco next March will confirm the next president, with candidates required to declare by 18 November — potentially the first contested FIFA election since Joao Havelange ousted Sir Stanley Rous in 1974
Why it matters: Infantino has twice been re-elected unopposed, but the simultaneous loss of confidence from UEFA, AFC and most of Concacaf could force the first contested FIFA presidential election in over 50 years. With an 18 November candidate deadline and the 2026 World Cup looming, control of the organization that distributes billions in football revenue is suddenly up for grabs.
