BOLZANO (ITALY), AUG 21 (AGENCIES): World soccer’s regional powerhouses are discussing whether to move a vote of no confidence as they seek to oust FIFA President Gianni Infantino after he angered them with a proposal to sell private investors a stake in the World Cup, senior figures familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
European confederation UEFA, Asia’s AFC and CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, are considering the move, the people said. Reuters could find no previous instance in FIFA’s 122-year history of its Congress holding a vote of no confidence in a sitting president.
“There is no way out,” one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. “Either he goes the peaceful way and decides not to stand in March or he goes the hard way,” the person said, referring to a possible vote of no confidence.
Under FIFA’s statutes, the FIFA Council can convene an Extraordinary Congress at any time, while the Council is required to call one if at least one-fifth of FIFA’s 211 member associations submit a written request specifying the items they want on the agenda.
An Extraordinary Congress must then be convened within three months, with each attending association holding one vote. FIFA’s statutes contain no specific provision governing a vote of no confidence in its president.
When contacted by Reuters for a comment, FIFA referred to a previous statement saying it “will not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the FIFA president that is inconsistent with FIFA’s Statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework.”
UEFA did not comment directly on whether a no-confidence vote was under discussion, referring Reuters instead to its earlier statement that a review of FIFA’s leadership and governance should be “thorough and fundamental” and that “no option should be off the table”.
CONCACAF declined to comment directly, referring Reuters to an earlier joint statement with UEFA and the AFC accusing FIFA’s leadership of a fundamental breach of trust. The AFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Infantino has said he intends to seek reelection at the scheduled March 2027 FIFA Congress, and retains significant support among FIFA’s member associations, including from Africa’s confederation CAF.
FIFA has apologised to its member associations for mistakes in the handling of the proposal, and last week six Arab football associations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, publicly backed Infantino. FIFA’s leadership reaffirmed its full support for Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco earlier this month.
A senior figure close to the matter told Reuters that while a no-confidence vote was favoured by the three confederations, there were fears an unsuccessful challenge would strengthen Infantino, demonstrate his continuing electoral support and bolster his position ahead of next year’s scheduled presidential election.
Infantino has come under intense pressure since the collapse of his proposal to sell a minority stake in a new FIFA commercial entity to private investors. That entity would have controlled the commercial rights to the World Cup, the game’s flagship event.
FIFA says its revenue for the 2023-2026 cycle is expected to exceed $15 billion, with the bulk of that generated in this 2026 World Cup year.
Three of FIFA’s six continental confederations – UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF – opposed the proposal and have since sharply criticised Infantino’s handling of it, citing failures of transparency, consultation and governance.
The crisis deepened this week with the departure of FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who had criticised the investment proposal and said staff had been “deceived” over what he described as the project of one person. FIFA gave no reason for his departure.
FIFA Vice President Sandor Csanyi withdrew his support for Infantino this week, saying Lamour’s departure was the “final straw”.
