Gianni Infantino's presidency of Fifa is under unprecedented threat following the revelation of a controversial plan to sell a portion of the World Cup to outside investors, a scheme that has provoked fierce backlash and left his leadership dangling by a thread.
Just days before the plan came to light, Infantino appeared triumphant, boasting on Instagram about a record-breaking $15bn in revenues generated by his World Cup while dismissing critics as people "behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumours." That confidence evaporated almost overnight once details emerged of his intention to offer investors a 21% stake in future revenues in exchange for roughly 28% of what the recent tournament earned—numbers that have baffled observers and fueled suspicion about the motives behind the deal.
The fallout has been swift. Uefa has mounted a unified and forceful response, threatening to boycott Fifa tournaments altogether, a move that appears to have caught Infantino off guard. The immediate flashpoint could be the Under-20 Women's World Cup, set to begin in Poland on September 5. Poland has invested heavily in preparations and wants the event to proceed, but its football federation is unlikely to break ranks with Uefa's stance.
Infantino has scrambled to shore up support, convening an emergency meeting in Rabat this week. Notably absent was chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, one of two senior officials among Fifa's five-member inner council who opposed the sell-off plan when it was disclosed to them just a day before the World Cup final. Meanwhile, letters of backing that once seemed to guarantee Infantino an unopposed path to re-election are reportedly being pulled. Still, some allies remain: the Confederation of African Football threw its support behind him on Friday—possibly swayed by plans for the 2030 World Cup final to be staged in Casablanca—joining Mexico, Argentina, Qatar, the UAE, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bhutan and Sri Lanka in his corner.
The controversy has also drawn attention to Infantino's close ties with Donald Trump and his family. Individuals connected to the deal reportedly include Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law. This is not the first time Infantino's relationship with the American president has raised eyebrows—he previously created the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize for Trump, appeared alongside him at global events, presented him with a Club World Cup trophy, and leased office space for Fifa inside Trump Tower that has seen little use.
Beyond the sell-off scandal, critics point to a broader pattern of Infantino sidestepping accountability during his tenure—avoiding Fifa's council, skipping press conferences, and governing through unilateral decisions. Questions have also been raised about other decisions surrounding the World Cup, including the introduction of hydration breaks, a half-time show during the final, and alleged interference with disciplinary protocols to ensure star players remained on the pitch, seemingly to boost the tournament's commercial allure for prospective investors.
In response to the growing unrest, Fifa has accelerated plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams—a move seen as an attempt to energize Infantino's base of support ahead of a potential leadership challenge. An election is technically scheduled for next March, and it remains uncertain whether Infantino can secure the backing of a majority among Fifa's 211 member associations.
The current turmoil is merely the latest chapter in Fifa's long history of governance controversies, tracing back through the corruption scandals that toppled Sepp Blatter in 2015 and the contested rise of Infantino himself to the presidency in 2016. Whether this latest crisis will finally force meaningful reform—or simply produce a change in leadership without addressing Fifa's deeper institutional issues—remains an open question.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.