FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing mounting pressure to step down after senior European football officials threatened “non-co-operation” with world football’s governing body, deepening a growing revolt over his controversial plan to open FIFA competitions to private investors.
Senior UEFA sources said there was “no going back” as long as Infantino remains in office, with some officials indicating they could boycott FIFA meetings unless the embattled president resigns.
The latest rebellion comes after UEFA threatened legal action against FIFA over the proposed creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial subsidiary that would oversee major FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, while allowing minority investments from private firms.
According to reports, FIFA had promised each of its 211 member associations up to $40 million in funding if they backed the proposal, with an initial payment tied to a September 19 deadline.
The plan has triggered fierce opposition across Europe. Wales has formally withdrawn support for Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA president, while England is expected to follow. Scotland is also reported to be aligned with UEFA’s position.
The backlash has widened further, with Serbia, Sweden and Finland also abandoning their support for Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March, where he requires at least 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 member associations to secure another term.
Despite the growing opposition, Infantino continues to enjoy support from several countries, including Morocco, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Sri Lanka.
UEFA has also demanded that FIFA preserve all documents related to the investment proposal, warning that it is considering legal proceedings over what it described as a flawed governance process.
UEFA Vice-President Laura McAllister said the legal threat reflected growing frustration with FIFA’s handling of the initiative.
“We need to learn from this disastrous process to make sure that we have accountability chains in hand to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” she said.
She expressed hope that more football associations would withdraw support for Infantino, describing the current crisis as “a big moment in the history of football.”
“We cannot keep putting out fires because of unilateral plans. I really hope now that we can have a change of leadership next year,” McAllister added.
Attention is also shifting to the FIFA Council, where members could trigger an emergency meeting to consider Infantino’s future if at least 19 of the 37 council members request one.
While Europe and Concacaf have emerged as the driving force behind the revolt, Asia is increasingly viewed as the key battleground, with the Asian Football Confederation expressing solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf. Africa, South America and Oceania have yet to publicly oppose Infantino’s proposals.
The deepening divisions have left world football sharply split, setting the stage for a potentially bruising leadership contest that could determine the future direction of FIFA.
