Gianni Infantino's grip on the Fifa presidency is weakening as European football associations mobilize to formally withdraw their backing for his re-election bid, according to reports.
The Swiss official's standing has been severely damaged following the collapse of a privately financed proposal to sell portions of World Cup rights, a plan that fell apart largely due to threats from Uefa's member associations to boycott future Fifa tournaments. In the aftermath, sentiment across European football has turned decisively against Infantino, with many national federations now eager to see him leave his post as soon as possible.
A number of national governing bodies are reportedly weighing the formal retraction of their endorsement letters, a move designed to accelerate Infantino's departure. Announcements on this front could come within days. Prior to the recent turmoil, every one of Uefa's 55 members except Germany, Romania, and Norway had submitted letters supporting Infantino's candidacy for a fourth term next March, a term that had widely been considered a formality.
There is discussion over whether associations should coordinate a joint withdrawal of support or proceed individually. Either approach would function as a de facto vote of no confidence, intensifying pressure on Infantino to step aside. Any nation wishing to rescind its endorsement letter must formally notify Fifa of the decision.
The dispute is not confined to Europe. Talks are also underway with federations in other confederations about the future of Infantino's leadership. Despite the failure of his so-called Fifa Forward Enterprise initiative, several members of the Asian Football Confederation publicly reaffirmed their support for Infantino over the weekend. Qatar, one of the confederation's most influential members, backed him on Saturday, followed by smaller associations including Sri Lanka and Kuwait on Sunday. Some voices within European football have questioned whether these federations fully grasp the extent of the opposition Infantino now faces. Notably, the AFC does not typically vote as a unified bloc, raising the possibility that dissatisfied members could eventually align with the European position.
The scale of Infantino's previous support had been considerable — earlier reporting indicated that more than 200 of Fifa's 211 member associations had submitted letters backing his candidacy. It is understood that Fifa exerted significant pressure on hesitant federations to secure those endorsements, even before his leadership faced any serious threat. Many of those associations are said to have harbored private doubts about his presidency despite publicly supporting him, but that reluctant tolerance appears to have evaporated across Europe and increasingly elsewhere.
Meanwhile, efforts to identify a potential successor to Infantino are gathering pace. Any challenger would need to secure substantial backing beyond Europe, particularly from the Asian confederation and Concacaf, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean football. Rapidly uniting behind a credible alternative candidate could prove decisive in convincing Infantino that his position is no longer sustainable.
Despite the mounting opposition, Infantino appears intent on remaining in charge. He is believed to be actively lobbying individual federations worldwide to shore up support for his continued leadership. Both the Confederation of African Football and South America's Conmebol remain firmly in his camp, which leaves Asia and North America as the key regions where the battle for Fifa's future leadership will likely be decided.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.