A coalition of football's regional powerbrokers is quietly assembling an alternative vision for how the sport should be governed, as tensions with Fifa president Gianni Infantino continue to escalate. Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation are said to be collaborating on a policy document that could redefine Fifa's role, structure and financial priorities in the years ahead.
According to a source familiar with the discussions, the three confederations have moved beyond simply demanding reform and are now actively shaping what a post-Infantino Fifa might look like. Those involved have reportedly been given latitude to examine fundamental questions about the organisation's purpose, its governance model, and how it distributes wealth among member associations — a topic made more urgent by Fifa's roughly $5billion in reserves.
The initiative follows weeks of frustration over Infantino's decision to press ahead with plans to sell a 21% stake in the World Cup, a move that has been publicly known for about two weeks. Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC had all called for an independent review of Fifa's governance in response, but those appeals have so far gone unanswered.
Should Infantino continue to resist dialogue, the framework being developed could be handed to a rival candidate ahead of next year's presidential election, or potentially form the basis of a breakaway body altogether.
The pressure campaign intensified this week with a joint statement from the three confederations calling for "leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it." The same statement revealed that preliminary talks have already begun about launching new competitions if the deadlock with Fifa's leadership drags on.
One immediate flashpoint is next month's Under-20 Women's World Cup, which could go ahead without any European nations. Uefa has indicated its members will boycott the tournament unless Fifa launches an independent inquiry into the World Cup stake sale and offers binding guarantees against similar moves in future.
Attention has turned to Concacaf president Victor Montagliani as the figure best placed to mount a challenge to Infantino, though he has previously told the Guardian that his immediate priority is securing re-election as head of his own confederation next year. Notably, this week's joint statement carried echoes of remarks Montagliani made at the Fifa congress in Vancouver earlier this year, when he declared: "Let me be frank, leadership is not about power."
The dispute has brought senior European football figures together in person for the first time since the Fifa Forward Enterprise scandal emerged, with talks scheduled around the Uefa Super Cup in Salzburg, where Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa on Wednesday. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is expected to meet Nasser al-Khelaifi, chairman of European Football Clubs, as part of efforts to present a unified front against Fifa's leadership.
Uefa has maintained its threat to boycott Fifa competitions, insisting it will not back down until it receives the assurances it has demanded regarding future governance and transparency. With no resolution in sight, the coming days in Salzburg could prove pivotal in determining whether this standoff escalates further or opens a path toward negotiation.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.