Uefa Challenges Infantino’s Leadership at Fifa

Uefa has delivered its most direct challenge yet to Gianni Infantino’s authority, warning that his style of leadership at Fifa “cannot continue” and demanding a root-and-branch review of the organisation’s governance.

In a blistering statement that railed against “secret schemes”, “shabby backroom deals” and “faceless individuals”, European football’s governing body made clear it wants change at the top of Fifa – even after the dramatic overnight U-turn that saw Infantino abandon his controversial plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other flagship competitions.

Uefa stopped short of explicitly calling for Infantino’s resignation. But the message was unmistakable: Europe does not believe the Fifa president should be allowed to survive what it sees as a crisis of his own making. Senior European officials are already moving to identify a rival candidate for next year’s Fifa presidential election, with conversations expected to accelerate in the coming days.

Ceferin turns up the heat

Under Aleksander Ceferin, Uefa has shifted from grumbling in private to open confrontation. The Slovenian, who last week secured unanimous backing from all 55 Uefa member associations for a World Cup boycott if the deal went ahead, is now positioning Europe as the driving force behind a reform push.

“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,” Uefa’s statement read. “We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.”

The tone was uncompromising. Uefa vowed to work with its own associations and “in close cooperation with other confederations” to understand how the proposal came so close to being pushed through and to “devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again”. The review, it said, must be “thorough and fundamental”, with “no option… off the table”.

The verdict on the current regime was damning: “The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa’s confidence, but also that of many other members of the football family.”

Infantino’s promises thrown back at him

Infantino, who swept to power in 2016 on a platform of transparency and reform, found his own campaign rhetoric weaponized against him.

Uefa quoted him directly from that first election push: “Of course we have to be transparent. I have been this in the last 15 years of my life in Uefa. You will have to play a part every day in the life of Fifa.” He also told national associations at the time: “The money of Fifa is your money. It’s not the money of the Fifa president. It’s your money. You are the national associations, and the money of Fifa has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.”

Uefa’s verdict was blunt. “On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent. And with reserves standing at over $5bn, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game.”

The abandoned proposal – to sell 20% of a new commercial company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, to private investors – had been presented by Infantino as a way to turbocharge funding to national associations. He argued it would lift Fifa Forward payments from $8m to $20m per association over the next four-year cycle, with an extra $20m one-off bonus dangled as a signing incentive.

For many inside the game, that was precisely the problem. The scheme was widely attacked as an exercise in patronage, a way to cement Infantino’s power by showering smaller federations with unprecedented cash. The $20m “early sign-up” bonus, tied to a 19 September deadline, drew particular condemnation.

Election suddenly wide open

Until this week, Infantino looked untouchable. He was expected to be re-elected unopposed for a third full term at next March’s Fifa Congress in Rabat. More than 200 member associations have already sent letters endorsing his campaign.

But those letters can be withdrawn. And the deadline for challengers to declare their intention to stand is 18 November. For the first time in years, the door is ajar.

Names are already circulating. Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is favoured by many in Europe, though he is said to be reluctant to run and holds a powerful role as chairman of the European Football Clubs lobby group. Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of Concacaf, is another option, as is Asian Football Confederation president Salman al-Khalifa, who lost narrowly to Infantino in the 2016 Fifa election.

None has yet stepped forward. But the calculation has changed. Infantino may still command support across much of the world, yet Uefa’s move signals that any coronation in Rabat will now be contested – if not on the ballot, then certainly in the court of credibility.

Follow the money

Uefa’s offensive is not just about personalities. It has zeroed in on the structure of Fifa’s finances, and specifically the Fifa Forward programme that distributes central funds equally to all 211 member associations over each four-year cycle.

Uefa called for an “immediate overhaul” of that system and pledged to lead the work on a new model. “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 statement said.

The accusation is clear: Fifa is sitting on more than $5bn in reserves while grassroots football in many countries struggles. “We must start to use some of that money that is sat idle in Fifa’s bank account to deliver the kick start that the grassroots and the wider game need in each of the 211 countries of Fifa. But we don’t need to sell off the family silver to pay for it.”

The collapse of the Fifa Forward Enterprise plan is being framed in Nyon as a win not just for Europe, but for the sport at large. “This is a victory for the whole game,” Uefa declared. “But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in Fifa has only just begun.”

Infantino remains in office. The election clock is ticking. The question now is whether the world’s most powerful confederation has merely fired a warning shot – or started the process that will end his reign.