FIFA’s president has officially lost the confidence of the football world, with an explosive new UEFA statement turning the screw
Gianni Infantino is facing the likely end of his FIFA presidency after UEFA declared he has “lost the confidence” of the football world following the collapse of his controversial World Cup investment plan.
European football’s governing body launched an extraordinary attack on the FIFA president after he abandoned plans to create a new company to run the commercial and operational aspects of football’s biggest tournaments.
UEFA had threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the proposal went ahead, with the organisation accusing Infantino of attempting to force through a “shabby, back room, opaque deal”.
Although UEFA welcomed the decision to scrap the plans, it warned that the damage to trust in FIFA’s leadership had already been done.
“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,” UEFA said.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”
The explosive statement represents a major blow for Infantino, who has led FIFA since succeeding Sepp Blatter in 2016 and secured re-election unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
The row centred around plans for FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company designed to oversee the commercial and operational elements of FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
Infantino proposed selling a 20 per cent stake in the company to private investors, with FIFA confirming that Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner – the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – was set to lead the investment group.
The FIFA president argued the move would “turbocharge” funding for football development around the world, promising additional money for national associations that backed the proposal.
However, the plans triggered a backlash from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which represents football nations across North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Infantino eventually confirmed in the early hours of Saturday that the proposal would not proceed, admitting the plan had “created divisions”.
UEFA, though, insisted the issue went beyond the abandoned proposal and called for a wider review of FIFA’s leadership and decision-making processes.
The governing body also criticised Infantino for failing to deliver on promises of transparency made when he was first elected FIFA president.
“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver,” UEFA said. “The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent.”
UEFA added that FIFA should use its existing financial reserves, which it says stand at more than five billion US dollars, to invest in grassroots football rather than selling off a stake in its future.
“This is a victory for the whole game,” UEFA said. “But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.”
The fallout is set to see Infantino face a challenge at FIFA’s next presidential election in March.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi has been linked with a possible bid and is believed to have support among UEFA circles, although sources close to the Qatari have suggested he is not interested in taking on the role due to his existing commitments.
Another potential rival is CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, who is also a FIFA vice-president.
The Canadian has emerged as a possible challenger following the backlash against Infantino and the collapse of the FFE project, although no formal challenge has yet been declared.
Pressure has also come from within FIFA itself, with Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigning and describing the proposal as a “bad deal for football”.
FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also criticised the process, describing FFE as “the project of one person” and accusing the organisation’s leadership of a lack of transparency and good governance.
Infantino now faces the challenge of rebuilding relationships with the confederations and member associations that opposed the plan.
“My intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support,” he said.

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