UEFA, CONCACAF target Infantino after FIFA shelve World Cup private investment plan

PARIS: FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under increasing fire from continental governing bodies on Saturday despite scrapping a widely-derided plan to allow private investment in the World Cup.

European football's governing body UEFA had led the opposition to the plan by threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions if it went ahead.

Although welcoming the withdrawal of the proposal, UEFA said that Infantino had lost their "confidence" and that of other members of the football family with a "shabby, back room, opaque deal."

North and Central American football's governing body CONCACAF went further still and called for "a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency" while slamming Infantino's "poor governance and leadership."

Their responses came hours after Infantino had issued a statement announcing the humiliating climb-down after a furious backlash since the plan was first revealed on Tuesday.

"Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve," Infantino, who hopes to be re-elected next year for a final term, said in a statement.

"As a result, this proposal will not proceed."

FIFA, world football's governing body, had floated the plan on Tuesday, saying it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

It said that, if approved, the project could provide each of FIFA's 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.

Infantino 'has failed' 

UEFA, though, said the plan showed that Infantino could not be trusted.

"The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," read UEFA's statement.

UEFA said that the 56-year-old Swiss had broken promises he made when he successfully first sought election in 2016 — namely to be "transparent" and that FIFA's money was "your (the member associations) money" and "not the money of the FIFA President."

"On both these promises, he has failed to deliver," said UEFA.

"The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent.

"And with reserves standing at over $5bn, he has also failed to use associations' money for the benefit of the game."

CONCACAF, which includes all three co-hosts of the recently concluded 2026 World Cup — the United States, Canada and Mexico — weighed in with its own damning assessment of Infantino's actions.

"This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour," it said in a statement.

Infantino's plan had "advanced outside every established governance framework, without transparency, consultation or due process."

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which represents 47 member nations, urged FIFA to follow the right procedures.

Any initiative that may impact global football should be "presented and discussed with the Confederations, the FIFA Council, Member Associations (MAs) and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner," the Kuala Lumpur-based body said in a statement.

Plan 'created divisions' 

It was not just continental bodies condemning the move.

English football's Football Association (FA) said there should be "a full and robust review of FIFA's leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently."

The German FA (DFB) called for a complete overhaul within FIFA.

"Together with UEFA and other confederations, we must ensure that a fundamentally different culture takes hold at FIFA — a culture where, above all, decisions are once again discussed and made by members within the governing bodies."

However, Infantino did receive some backing from Moroccan federation president Fouzi Lekjaa, who praised his "wise" move to scrap the plan in the interests of "unity and cohesion."

He reiterated his backing for Infantino for "all the initiatives aimed at the development of world football."

In the statement announcing that the plan was dead, Infantino said the project was conceived as a means of strengthening member associations.

"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," he said.

The beleaguered Infantino said he would focus on restoring harmony while continuing to grow the game.