Gianni Infantino faces the most serious challenge since he became president of FIFA in 2016. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF are studying promoting a motion of no confidence to remove him from office, as 'Reuters' has revealed after consulting senior officials familiar with the conversations.
The initiative is unprecedented. In FIFA's 122-year history, its Congress has never subjected the continuity of a sitting president to such a vote. The confrontation has grown to that point after Infantino's attempt to open a new company to private investors that would have controlled the commercial rights of the World Cup, the organization's main economic asset.
"There is no other way out," a source close to the conversations assured. "Either he leaves amicably and decides not to run in March, or it will be the hard way," he added about the possibility of bringing his dismissal before the federations.
The mechanism exists, although it requires considerable mobilization. The FIFA Statutes establish that the Council must convene an extraordinary Congress when requested in writing by one-fifth of its 211 associations. Therefore, 43 federations would be needed, and the meeting would have to be held within a maximum of three months.
Each association has one vote, and confederations do not have the possibility of voting en bloc. UEFA brings together 55 federations, and the AFC has 47, so either of them could reach the necessary minimum if they manage to align enough members. The general rule of the statutes sets a simple majority of valid votes, although the text does not develop a specific procedure for a motion of no confidence against the president.
The risk worries Infantino's adversaries. A defeat in Congress would show that he retains a sufficient majority and could strengthen him for the elections scheduled for March 2027. The leader maintains the support of the African Football Confederation and several Arab federations, including those of Qatar and Morocco.
UEFA already publicly declared that the current FIFA leadership had lost its confidence. In an official statement, it accused Infantino of preparing an opaque agreement behind the federations' backs, demanded a thorough review of governance, and warned that no option should be ruled out.
FIFA ended up withdrawing the project and admitted errors in its processing. The organization admitted that the federations and the Council itself could have felt excluded, apologized, and announced an internal review. Its leadership, however, then ratified its support for Infantino and defended that all actions had complied with its rules.
The apologies have not stopped the crisis. FIFA's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, left the organization this week after criticizing the project and claiming that staff had been "misled." Vice President Sándor Csányi also withdrew his support for the president and described that departure as "the straw that broke the camel's back."
Adding to that pressure is European Football Clubs, the association representing more than 800 teams. The entity has warned that its members could refuse to participate in future editions of the Club World Cup if FIFA ignores their demands regarding governance and the relationship with international competitions.
Fans demand his resignation and that FIFA "start from scratch"
The offensive has also reached the stands. Football Supporters Europe, Football Supporters Africa, and the Independent Supporters Council of North America have launched a global petition demanding Infantino's immediate resignation and a complete reform of the organization.
The campaign has dozens of national associations. Among the Spanish ones are FASFE, Accionistas y Socios del Fútbol Español, and Fans' Embassy Spain. Its promoters accuse the president of having secretly negotiated the commercial project and of trying to place a part of the World Cup business in the hands of external investors.
"One man seems to believe he is more important than football," the manifesto states. The signatories denounce an excessive concentration of power, opaque decisions, and the lack of mechanisms capable of holding the presidency accountable.
The petition calls for transparency in major agreements, real consultations with federations, clubs, leagues, players, and fans, controls over executive power, and independent oversight. It also demands that the income generated by football return to the sport and be protected from the interests of private investors.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, believes that Infantino's departure would only be the first step. "FIFA needs to start from scratch," he defended, calling for a reform that prevents any president from again concentrating such decision-making capacity.
Infantino currently maintains his candidacy for March 2027 and no rival has announced that they will challenge him for the position. The deadline to present aspirants ends on November 18. Before then, UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF must decide whether to turn their criticisms into the 43 requests necessary to bring the dismissal of a FIFA president before the Congress for the first time.
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