The English Football Association is preparing to write to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to withdraw its support following the controversy over his abandoned proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. The move comes amid mounting opposition in Europe, legal threats from UEFA and public withdrawals of backing from several national associations.
Infantino, who is expected to stand for a fourth and final term as FIFA president next March, needs 106 of FIFA’s 211 member votes to be re-elected. Sources say the Scottish FA’s stance now aligns with UEFA’s publicly expressed lack of confidence in the 56-year-old president. Wales has already withdrawn its support, and Serbia, Sweden and Finland have also signalled they will no longer back him.
The scheme at the centre of the row would have created a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to run major events such as the World Cup and invited third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments. FIFA wrote to all 211 member associations offering $40m if they supported the plan and set a 19 September deadline for those claiming an initial $20m payment.
UEFA and CONCACAF issued critical statements about the proposal, and UEFA has gone further by warning it is considering legal action, arbitration and regulatory complaints connected to the FFE plan. In a letter to Infantino reported by The Telegraph, UEFA demanded immediate steps to preserve all documents and electronically stored information related to the initiative, independent of FIFA’s normal document-retention policies.
UEFA’s preservation request covers a wide range of material, including emails, instant messages (WhatsApp, Signal, Teams, Slack or other platforms), SMS, written correspondence and meeting notes involving any FIFA officer, employee, committee member, consultant, agent, member association, confederation, broadcaster, sponsor or financial institution. UEFA also asked that records relating to the payment structure for member associations be retained, including design, modelling, legal basis, approvals and communications.
FIFA has been approached for comment. Media reports have identified Thrive Eternal (Thrive), a US venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, as the expected lead investor for the proposed FFE group.
UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister described the episode as “an abysmal governance process” and said it represented “a very clear call for action.” Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, she urged stronger accountability and expressed hope that the episode could lead to a change of leadership next year. McAllister said she expected other associations to join those withdrawing their support and called the moment “a big moment in the history of football.”
Despite growing opposition in Europe, Infantino retains backing from several FIFA members outside the continent: Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Sri Lanka have publicly pledged support for his continued leadership. Voting power across confederations is a key factor: UEFA holds 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, CONCACAF 35, Oceania 11 and CONMEBOL 10.
The Asian Football Confederation has declared solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF over the matter, while Africa, CONMEBOL and Oceania have so far not criticised the plan. That split underlines why European opposition alone may not be sufficient to remove Infantino: efforts are reportedly underway behind the scenes to persuade member associations from other regions to join the revolt.
Beyond the re-election campaign, FIFA’s governance structures include a mechanism that could force an emergency FIFA Council meeting if 19 of the 37 Council members call for one. A meeting must be held within two weeks of such a request. The Council comprises nine UEFA members, seven from the Asian Football Confederation, five from CONCACAF, six from Africa, five from CONMEBOL and three from Oceania, plus Infantino and secretary-general Mattias Grafström. If 19 Council members back a motion, they could meet to challenge Infantino’s leadership or seek his resignation.
UEFA’s demand that senior FIFA officials preserve evidence related to the scrapped investment plans marks a further escalation in the dispute and could prove politically uncomfortable for those involved. It also signals that the European revolt is driven not only by the substance of the FFE proposal but by concerns about governance, transparency and process.
At this stage it is unclear whether the withdrawal of support from a growing list of associations, combined with the threat of legal action, will prompt Infantino to consider stepping down or whether it will be sufficient to secure the 19 FIFA Council votes needed to force an emergency meeting. UEFA has said it will only seek to trigger such a meeting once it is confident it has the necessary numbers.
The situation remains fluid. UEFA must balance pressing for accountability with avoiding the perception of dictating outcomes for the rest of world football, while Infantino still commands significant support in several regions. How many additional associations switch their stance in the coming weeks will determine whether this dispute ends as a political setback or a leadership crisis for FIFA.
