UEFA steps up attack on Infantino with statement of ‘no confidence’
NYON: European football’s governing body, UEFA, has formally declared a complete loss of confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, unleashing a major crisis at the top of world football.
The unprecedented rift between Europe and football’s global governing body follows a fierce backlash against a controversial $20 billion commercial proposal that threatened to reshape the sport’s financial structure.
UEFA has effectively warned Infantino that it has the votes to request an emergency congress and seek to overthrow him.
The catalyst for the current standoff was FIFA’s proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial vehicle designed to handle the commercial rights for major FIFA events, including the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Under the plan, FIFA sought to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling a 20pc minority stake to private equity investors.
In exchange, FIFA dangled significant payouts to its 211 member associations, promising one-off cash injections of up to $20 million per nation. However, the proposal triggered immediate outrage across European football and beyond. UEFA officials, along with national associations, accused FIFA leadership of attempting to push through a “shabby, back-room, opaque deal” without meaningful consultation or oversight.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and the leadership of all 55 European member associations stood remarkably united in their opposition. European nations went so far as to threaten a total boycott of all FIFA competitions if Infantino proceeded with the scheme, declaring firmly that the World Cup and the core heritage of global football were “not FIFA’s to sell.”
Although FIFA swiftly backed down and scrapped the private investment scheme following the backlash, the concession has done little to calm the waters. In a scathing official statement, UEFA made it clear that reversing the decision was only the beginning and that the current FIFA leadership no longer held the trust of the European football community.
UEFA noted that Infantino had failed to deliver on core promises made during his initial election in 2016—specifically regarding administrative transparency and treating FIFA’s funds as belonging to the member associations rather than the presidency.
“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 stated, emphasizing that “no option should be off the table” as confederations review governance structures moving forward.
The unified stance from UEFA marks a critical juncture in Infantino’s presidency. Having previously looked set to secure re-election unopposed for another term, Infantino now faces unprecedented political vulnerability. The collapse of the investment deal, accompanied by high-profile resignations among key advisers, has exposed deep dissatisfaction with his centralized leadership style.
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