Gianni Infantino's grip on power at Fifa is crumbling, according to Claudius Schaefer, president of European Leagues, who has issued a scathing assessment of the governing body's leadership and demanded sweeping structural change.
In an interview published Wednesday by The Athletic, Schaefer, whose organisation represents 53 professional men's and women's football competitions across the continent, made clear that his group no longer views Infantino as fit to lead world football's governing body.
"We question his suitability to continue as president. Here in Switzerland, we've had a close view of Fifa and it seems that the influence of the president has grown from year to year," Schaefer said. He added that pivotal decisions were increasingly being made without proper input from those directly affected by them: "Major decisions are taken without meaningful consultation with stakeholders who will be affected."
The comments arrive amid escalating tension within international football's power structures, much of it sparked by Fifa's abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial rights. That plan has since been shelved, but the fallout appears to have accelerated broader dissatisfaction with Infantino's stewardship.
Schaefer is not alone in his criticism. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has already publicly called on Infantino to step aside, a sentiment now shared by European Leagues. Pressure is also mounting from Asia's AFC and Concacaf, the governing body overseeing football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, with all three confederations pushing for the Fifa president's resignation. Reports suggest that regional football authorities have even discussed the possibility of pursuing a formal vote of no confidence against Infantino.
Among the controversies cited by critics is Fifa's decision to hand its first-ever peace prize to US President Donald Trump in December, a move that drew widespread scrutiny. Equally contentious was the reversal of a suspension for American forward Folarin Balogun during this year's World Cup, reportedly following a direct intervention from Trump.
Schaefer suggested that such episodes may amount to more than just poor optics, framing them instead as potential legal violations given Fifa's status as a Swiss-registered association. "Fifa is an association under Swiss law and in this association you have rules. The president and the board members have to perform their duties with care. This is a legal matter," he said. "If you take such a decision (as the peace prize), without even informing the council, that, in my view, is a breach of law. And then, during the World Cup we all know about the red card issue."
He went further in condemning the Balogun episode, calling it unprecedented interference in sport. "It was a real scandal. I can't ever recall a political intervention of this kind relating to a sporting matter. Such acts call the integrity of the game into question. That's why there is no future at Fifa for Infantino. There can't be," Schaefer said.
Despite the mounting opposition, Infantino is reportedly determined to pursue a fourth term as Fifa president next year, even as resistance builds from multiple corners of the football world. Schaefer, however, insisted that the real priority for reformers should not simply be removing Infantino from office, but reshaping the presidency itself so that such concentration of power cannot recur. "For us, getting these reforms is the most important task and they can only happen with another president," he said.
Fifa had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Based on reporting from The Independent.