Several European football federations have called for a fundamental review of FIFA’s leadership and governance after president Gianni Infantino abandoned a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin had threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions over the proposal, arguing that nobody has the moral right to sell what is held in trust for future generations. The North American confederation CONCACAF and the Asian confederation AFC joined the protest before Infantino withdrew the plan.
Federations demand accountability
UEFA has since demanded that those responsible face consequences. The English Football Association said it fully supported UEFA’s position, calling for a thorough review of FIFA’s leadership and management to ensure transparency for all 211 member associations.
The German Football Association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf said the attempt to open FIFA competitions to private investors had ended in spectacular failure. He said Infantino had acted unilaterally, without transparency, and ultimately irresponsibly, and called for a fundamentally different culture inside FIFA in which decisions are discussed and taken by members of governing bodies.
The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said the process had caused a fundamental breach of trust in Infantino’s leadership, adding that the situation required serious discussion about the future of governance at FIFA.
The Welsh Football Association and the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) also backed UEFA’s call for a leadership review. NFF president Lise Klaveness said it had been absolutely necessary for Infantino and FIFA to withdraw the proposal, but added that the entire system of international football cooperation had been unnecessarily put at risk in pursuit of the interests of individuals rather than the good of the game.
According to reports, pressure on Infantino is intensifying, with UEFA said to be preparing to back rival candidates against him at the next FIFA presidential election. One name mentioned as a potential challenger is Dariusz Mioduski.
