Gianni Infantino's future as Fifa president has come under serious threat after England and Wales confirmed they are pulling their backing for his re-election bid, deepening a crisis triggered by a now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
The Football Association of Wales was first to act, declaring on Monday that it no longer supports Infantino's candidacy for a fourth term running world football's governing body. "The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football," the Welsh association said. "Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept."
England's FA is set to follow with a formal letter to Fifa rescinding its previous endorsement, though it is not expected to make the move public, reportedly wary of appearing to dictate terms to other confederations. Finland had already become the first nation to abandon Infantino last week, and more European federations are expected to join the exodus. According to reports, all but five of Uefa's 55 members had pledged support for Infantino before the controversial scheme came to light.
The unrest stems from Fifa's proposal to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise, a commercial subsidiary through which outside investors — reportedly led by Joshua Kushner's venture capital firm Thrive Eternal — would have been allowed to buy minority stakes in Fifa's flagship competitions, including the World Cup. Infantino had offered member associations $40m each in exchange for backing the plan, with a September 19 deadline attached to an initial $20m payment.
The scheme collapsed late Friday after Uefa's 55 associations threatened to boycott future Fifa tournaments unless it was withdrawn. Concacaf also rejected the proposal over inadequate consultation, while the Asian Football Confederation called for an "urgent review" of Fifa's governance structures. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin's organisation went further still, warning it was weighing legal action, arbitration or regulatory complaints, and demanding Fifa preserve all documents, messages and correspondence tied to the plan.
Uefa did not hold back in its criticism. "We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account," the confederation said, adding that Infantino had "lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family."
The FA echoed that sentiment, stating: "We fully support UEFA's position. It is time for a full and robust review of FIFA's leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart."
Despite the mounting revolt, Infantino retains pockets of support, with Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Sri Lanka publicly standing behind him. Africa, Conmebol and Oceania have so far avoided direct criticism, meaning his removal is far from guaranteed. Should Infantino survive to March's election, he would need 106 of Fifa's 211 votes to secure a fourth term. Alternatively, the Fifa Council could force an emergency meeting if 19 of its 37 members request one, potentially leading to a demand for his resignation.
Speculation is already swirling over potential successors, with names including Uefa's Ceferin, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Legia Warsaw owner Dariusz Mioduski, Concacaf's Victor Montagliani, AFC chief Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, and even Fifa's own Arsene Wenger floated as contenders. However, both Ceferin and Al-Khelaifi have shown little appetite to run, with a representative for the PSG president stating he has "absolutely no ambition, no intention, no interest in the Fifa role."
With Europe driving the campaign against him, attention now turns to how Asian and Concacaf federations respond, as their stance could prove decisive in determining whether Infantino's presidency survives beyond next March.
Based on reporting from The Independent, BBC Sport, The Guardian, and The Standard.