BOLZANO (Italy)
\nWorld football\u2019s 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.
\nEuropean confederation UEFA, Asia\u2019s 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\u2019s 122-year history of its Congress holding a vote of no confidence in a sitting president.
\n\u201cThere is no way out,\u201d one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. \u201cEither he goes the peaceful way and decides not to stand in March or he goes the hard way,\u201d the person said, referring to a possible vote of no confidence.
\nUnder FIFA\u2019s 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\u2019s 211 member associations submit a written request specifying the items they want on the agenda.
\nAn Extraordinary Congress must then be convened within three months, with each attending association holding one vote. FIFA\u2019s statutes contain no specific provision governing a vote of no confidence in its president.
\nWhen contacted by Reuters for a comment, FIFA referred to a previous statement saying it \u201cwill not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the FIFA president that is inconsistent with FIFA\u2019s Statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework.\u201d
\nUEFA 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\u2019s leadership and governance should be \u201cthorough and fundamental\u201d and that \u201cno option should be off the table\u201d.
\nCONCACAF declined to comment directly, referring Reuters to an earlier joint statement with UEFA and the AFC accusing FIFA\u2019s leadership of a fundamental breach of trust. The AFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
\nInfantino has said he intends to seek re-election at the scheduled March 2027 FIFA Cong\u00adress, and retains significant support among FIFA\u2019s member associations, including from Africa\u2019s confederation CAF.
\nFIFA 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.
\nFIFA\u2019s leadership reaffirmed its full support for Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco earlier this month.
\nA 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\u2019s scheduled presidential election.
\nInfantino 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.
\nThat entity would have controlled the commercial rights to the World Cup, the game\u2019s flagship event.
\nFIFA 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.
\nThree of FIFA\u2019s six continental confederations UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF opposed the proposal and have since sharply criticised Infantino\u2019s handling of it, citing failures of transparency, consultation and governance.
\nThe 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.
\nFIFA Vice President Sandor Csanyi withdrew his support for Infantino this week, saying Lamour\u2019s departure was the \u201cfinal straw\u201d.<\/p>\n
SUPPORT REMAINS
\nInfantino\u2019s opponents, however, face significant obstacles.
\nNo challenger has publicly stepped forward ahead of the Nov 18 nomination deadline and Infantino retains backing from parts of FIFA\u2019s membership.
\nCAF president Patrice Motsepe said last week that Infantino continued to have Africa\u2019s support and that his future should be decided by FIFA\u2019s members at the election.
\nUnder the abandoned investment proposal, associations would have been able to access up to $20 million in one-off capital for infrastructure, coaching, national teams, competitions, grassroots football and the women\u2019s game.
\nThose who are ready to fight Infantino at the ballot box should come out into the open, Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya told Reuters last week.
\n\u201cThey should tell us what they are going to bring. As the Malawi FA, I need to understand what they are going to bring to Malawi.\u201d<\/p>\n
CLUB LEVERAGE
\nPressure also extends bey\u00adond those with a FIFA vote.
\nEuropean Football Clubs (EFC), chaired by Paris St-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and representing more than 800 clubs, is aligned with UEFA and others seeking change at FIFA, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
\nEFC has warned FIFA that its members could refuse to take part in future men\u2019s and women\u2019s Club World Cups unless its concerns over governance and the clubs relationship with FIFA are addressed.
\nClubs have no FIFA vote but wield considerable sporting and commercial leverage.
\nMichael Payne, the former International Olympic Committee marketing chief, said even an electoral victory for Infantino would not necessarily resolve the divisions.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s all very well to sneak through with a 51% majority with many of the tiny nations but all of the football superpowers against you. How do you run the organisation?\u201d Payne told Reuters.
\nNo FIFA sponsor has publicly criticised Infantino over the crisis.
\n\u201cSponsors are raising their eyebrows saying, \u2018How can you manage to have such a successful World Cup and then shoot yourself in the foot afterwards?\u2019\u201d Payne said.
\nFor the senior figure familiar with the discussions around the vote of no confidence, the damage is already irreversible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BOLZANO (Italy) World football\u2019s 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\u2019s AFC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":563453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-563465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n