A bruising 24 hours - what next for Fifa and under-pressure Infantino?
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- Gianni Infantino attempted to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment firms apparently without the knowledge of other stakeholders, triggering what the source calls the worst crisis of his presidency
- UEFA threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions including the World Cup, then issued a formal statement declaring it had "lost confidence" in Infantino's leadership after he backtracked early Saturday
- Concacaf called for a "full review" into FIFA leadership while the AFC also turned against him, though Qatar publicly backed Infantino and Mexico distanced itself from the joint Concacaf statement
- Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser, and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour both abandoned him as 136 of 211 member associations officially rejected the investment plan
- UEFA alone could trigger an extraordinary congress since it controls 55 of the 211 member associations — more than the 43 needed — with 106 votes required to pass a no-confidence motion
- Victor Montagliani, Concacaf's president, and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC president, emerge as the most likely replacement candidates, with PSG's Nasser Al-Khelaifi considered unlikely to run by the November 18 candidacy deadline
- The 2015 Blatter precedent — when major sponsors including Sony, Emirates, Castrol, Continental Tyres and Johnson & Johnson cut their deals — has not repeated yet, though the source flags it as the kind of pressure that could finish Infantino
Why it matters: With Africa, Conmebol and Oceania yet to criticize the plan and only 136 nations having rejected the proposal (not the same as 106 no-confidence votes), Infantino's ouster is far from certain despite the public upheaval. The 2015 Blatter parallel shows the real kill shot comes when major sponsors walk away, which the source notes has not happened yet.
