PARIS, Sept 24 (Reuters) – The battle to force Gianni Infantino out of FIFA may be receding just weeks after opponents considered trying to remove the president of world soccer’s governing body, but the dispute over how much power he should wield could be entering a new phase.
Senior figures in world football increasingly see the crisis triggered by Infantino’s abandoned private-investment plan shifting away from the question of succession and towards the terms of his continued presidency.
One possible outcome is a governance compromise under which Infantino remains in office but gives up some of his authority. Another is a prolonged confrontation in which clubs, confederations, player representatives and national associations repeatedly challenge FIFA over competitions, finances and control of the international calendar.
“What is clear now … is that he’s going nowhere,” a senior world football executive told Reuters. “A hot-cold war is a very real problem for FIFA and for world football.”
A veteran international sports executive, who has spent decades working with governing bodies, offered a similar assessment, saying Infantino was “hanging on” but questioning how FIFA could function if many of football’s most powerful countries and institutions remained opposed to him.
“You would have effectively a civil war within the governance which I cannot recall in a sports body before,” the executive said. “Unprecedented.”
Two other senior football officials independently corroborated the possibility of a prolonged confrontation to Reuters.
The scenario could produce a paradoxical outcome to a crisis that at its height threatened Infantino’s position: he could remain president while facing sustained efforts from major stakeholders to limit his authority.
“Does he become a lame duck?” the veteran executive asked.
Trust still broken
There is little indication that Infantino’s attempt this week to draw a line under the crisis has restored trust.
In a letter to the FIFA Council and presidents of all 211 member associations, Infantino proposed that the Council consider an independent external review of FIFA’s governance framework for major strategic initiatives. He also proposed consultations with confederations, associations and other stakeholders on strengthening decision-making, while reaffirming his commitment to leading FIFA.
Several European federations rejected the proposal, while UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said on Wednesday that trust in world football had not been restored.
“The project that shattered the unity of world football may be abolished, but the trust it broke has not returned,” Ceferin said in a video address to the Portugal Football Summit.
Ceferin did not name Infantino but was referring to the proposal to sell a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including rights linked to the World Cup, to private investors. The plan was abandoned after opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF.
Attrition
For 56-year-old Swiss-Italian Infantino, a less confrontational settlement could depend on reforms substantial enough to convince opponents that power inside FIFA has genuinely shifted.
The senior world football executive said one possible outcome could be the creation of a new body or structure that diluted the authority of the president.
Infantino’s governance proposals were the “bare minimum” needed to give him room to remain in office, the executive said, adding that the question was whether he would accept meaningful changes.
How far any compromise could go would depend on “how much Infantino is willing to cede” and how much his opponents were willing to fight to take away, the executive said.
There is historical irony in such an outcome. Reforms introduced after the downfall of former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter were intended in part to reduce the power concentrated in the presidency.
If no settlement is reached, the alternative could be attritional rather than spectacular.
The world football executive said clubs could challenge FIFA over the Club World Cup, financial distributions and player release; player representatives could contest the international calendar; national associations could obstruct initiatives; and major confederations could oppose attempts to expand or reshape FIFA competitions.
“Maybe it seems like we’re boiling down to two options now,” the executive said.
“One, a compromise where Gianni gives up some of his power and there are some new bodies that are created or, two, a permanent hot-cold war where all the stakeholders just fight every issue.”
That could include disputes over expanded World Cups, bigger or more frequent Club World Cups and commercial distribution decisions, the executive said.
The result would not necessarily be a formal break with FIFA. Instead, opponents could make major initiatives increasingly difficult to deliver.
The veteran sports executive said the challenge went to the heart of how global governing bodies function.
“The importance of unity. Keeping these monster sports organisations together, they are not political parties,” the executive said. “This will be new territory.”
Infantino rebuilds
Another reason attention is shifting towards how FIFA operates under Infantino is that his position has strengthened since the crisis began.
A national association president, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Infantino’s opponents had missed an opportunity when the backlash was at its peak and that the FIFA president was now rebuilding support ahead of the March 2027 election.
Infantino is due to face the FIFA presidential vote at the organization’s Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027. He has already announced that he will seek re-election.
The FIFA president has opportunities in the coming months to meet national association leaders at tournaments, congresses and confederation events, including several gatherings in Africa.
The association president expects Infantino to use those meetings to maintain support among football leaders through to the election.
The political significance of smaller associations has also been highlighted by a proposal from Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani for FIFA to distribute at least $10 million from its reserves to each of its 211 member associations during the next financial cycle.
For associations heavily reliant on FIFA funding, such sums could be significant.
If Infantino is re-elected, the association president believes some federations that have opposed him may eventually become less hostile, concluding there is little to gain from four years of permanent confrontation.
That leaves open the possibility that the current dispute could move towards negotiation rather than a prolonged confrontation.
