The announcement that International Football Association Board (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino is withdrawing his plans to sell shares in FIFA tournaments to venture capital companies came on Saturday night, Swedish time.
The British newspaper The Telegraph reports that the European Football Association (Uefa) has now given Infantino an ultimatum: resign or face a vote of confidence.
No opposing candidate
A vote can be held at an extraordinary FIFA Congress. For an extraordinary congress to be held, 20 percent of FIFA's 211 member associations must support such a demand. Uefa brings together 55 national associations on its own.
The ordinary congress will be held in March 2027 and so far Gianni Infantino, who has been president since 2016, is the only candidate.
Uefa made no mention of any ultimatum in its statement on Saturday, but came down hard on Fifa.
"We cannot continue in this way, with secret plans being pushed through at express speed, developed by anonymous individuals and with highly questionable benefits for the sport. We must identify those responsible and hold them accountable. The current Fifa leadership has not only lost the trust of UEFA, but also of many other members of the global football family," UEFA wrote.
Early on Saturday evening, Swedish time, Uefa was backed by Concacaf, which brings together 41 national associations in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
"A proposal of this magnitude does not reach this stage by chance. It is a symptom of a leadership that has stopped putting football first," Concacaf wrote in a statement.
The association further writes that a "thorough evaluation of this presidency is of utmost importance."
“Still concerned”
The Swedish Football Association (SvFF) welcomes FIFA's decision not to proceed with the proposal.
"At the same time, we remain concerned about shortcomings in governance, transparency and management, and want to emphasize the importance of continued discussion and dialogue about how football should be governed and developed," writes SvFF chairman Simon Åström in a comment.
The chairman of the Danish Football Association, Jesper Møller, writes in a statement that they have lost "confidence" in Infantino.
Morocco, which is one of the main organisers of the 2030 World Cup, also welcomes the withdrawal of the proposal, but at the same time states in a statement that Infantino has the North African country's support as FIFA president.
The World Cup in four years will also be held in Spain and Portugal, as well as with three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Swiss Gianni Infantino, 56, has been president of the International Football Association Board (FIFA) since February 2016 – before that he was, among other things, secretary general of the European Football Association (UEFA) from 2009 to 2016.
He was elected at an extraordinary FIFA congress in the wake of the corruption scandals surrounding his predecessor Sepp Blatter.
His first three years in office do not count as a full term, meaning Infantino could be re-elected for four more years next year. According to FIFA's statutes, a president can serve a maximum of three full terms, which Infantino will reach if re-elected.
Infantino has said he will run for Fifa president in 2027. Ahead of the controversial proposal to sell off shares in the World Cup, among other things, football federations in Africa, South America and Asia had already given him their support for re-election. This corresponds to 111 out of 211 votes.
