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Gianni Infantino, the increasingly embattled FIFA president, was everywhere in the conversations as European soccer leaders gathered this week in Monaco for the Champions League draw. UEFA, the European soccer confederation, is spearheading the backlash against Infantino over his failed World Cup sell-off plan that created a deep rift in the sport one month ago. Many of its member federations have withdrawn their support for the FIFA leader, who is up for re-election in March 2027, and some have called for his resignation. Infantino has not given any indication he plans to step down. Here's what to know about the growing pushback against the FIFA president. UEFA ramps up the pressure with legal action ============================= On Thursday, UEFA escalated the situation by revealing that it is preparing a possible criminal complaint against the FIFA president in Switzerland where the organization is based for alleged mismanagement. The European soccer confederation filed re
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says he won't run against FIFA President Gianni Infantino but warned the beleaguered head of world soccer that he must either quit or face a leadership challenge in March. Infantino has come under increasing pressure to step down over his plan, now aborted, to sell stakes in soccer's biggest tournament, the World Cup, to private equity investors. Three of the sport's continental confederations accused him of "deception" and European soccer body UEFA threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions. "One option is that he realizes that he doesn't have the support, and that's not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches," Ceferin said in an interview with "The Rest is Politics: Leading" British podcast which is set to be broadcast Monday. "And the second option is that he goes to the elections in March, but in th
UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC believe that FIFA president Gianni Infantino's recent plan to sell an interest in the World Cup was a "fundamental breach of trust" with the institutions world soccer's governing body serves. In an "open letter to the football family" revealed on Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC also said that "when trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned." UEFA runs soccer in Europe, CONCACAF does the same for North, Central America and the Caribbean, while the AFC governs the sport in Asia. The letter was co-signed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and three general secretaries. "Football is the world's greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the member associations and every institution ...
FIFA has issued a statement defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against what it calls a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine his leadership of the organization. The statement was released Saturday, a day after a report by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph raising questions about an exit package paid by UEFA to a female staffer who worked with Infantino when he was general secretary of European soccer's governing body. UEFA confirmed that a "departure payment" was made to the employee and said it was "in line" with regulations at the time. Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years before being elected FIFA president. In the statement Saturday, FIFA accused Infantino's critics of trying to weaken his authority and remove him from office without due process. "It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president," the FIFA statement said. "Those who do not have the support of FIFA's member associations should
FIFA said it had apologized for errors made over Gianni Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and that senior staff in attendance at a crisis meeting in Morocco "reaffirmed their full support" for his presidency. World soccer's governing body attempted to present a unified front amid the turbulence caused by Infantino's controversial plans, with calls for him to step down. In a statement, FIFA said Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and members of the management board in attendance in Rabat had given their support to the embattled president. Referring to the plans to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the statement said "mistakes made were acknowledged" and that the "process should have been handled differently." FIFA said a letter had been sent to FIFA Council and member associations apologizing for errors and committed to "ensure they do not happen again." Grafstrom's stated support was notable a