LONDON : FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup continued to fuel a governance crisis on Tuesday, with support for his re-election showing signs of fracturing as regional confederations weighed their next steps.
Infantino withdrew the proposal on Friday after fierce opposition to plans that would have raised $4.2 billion through a new commercial rights entity by introducing private investment into FIFA’s flagship competitions.
The 56-year-old later apologised for the divisions caused by the proposal, but the controversy has weakened his position ahead of FIFA’s presidential election in March.
Five European football associations, including England’s Football Association, have formally withdrawn their backing for Infantino’s re-election, while Denmark said it had no intention of supporting him.
In contrast, the football federations of Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Sri Lanka have publicly reaffirmed their support for the Swiss-Italian, who has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking to remain in office until 2031.
Although only a small fraction of FIFA’s 211 member associations have publicly declared their positions, the episode has strained relations between FIFA and several of its most influential regional confederations.
UEFA and CONCACAF, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, said on Saturday they had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), traditionally viewed as supportive of FIFA’s leadership, stopped short of calling for Infantino’s removal but described the lack of consultation over the proposal as “totally unacceptable” and called for governance reforms.
The Times of London reported on Monday that UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC were exploring ways to increase pressure on Infantino, including the possibility of paralysing FIFA’s decision-making and creating alternative competitions if he refused to step down.
UEFA declined to comment on the report, while FIFA, CONCACAF and the AFC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
UEFA confirmed it had sent FIFA a document preservation notice covering all material related to the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project as it considers possible legal action.
Under FIFA statutes, an Extraordinary Congress can be convened if at least 43 member associations submit a formal written request.
Infantino now faces the task of rebuilding alliances before the March Congress, where all 211 member associations will vote on FIFA’s presidency.
Like predecessors Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, Infantino has built much of his political support outside Europe, particularly among smaller associations that rely heavily on FIFA development funding.
His proposal included promises of payments ranging from $20 million to $40 million per member association if the investment plan had been approved.
Any challenger seeking to unseat Infantino before the Nov. 18 nomination deadline will need to build support across both football’s wealthier confederations and the developing nations that have formed the backbone of his electoral base.
