Gianni Infantino, the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian president of FIFA, withdrew his proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial rights late Friday, deepening a crisis in which senior football officials have distanced themselves from the plan and Jordan's federation president has accused him of blackmail.
The proposal would have created a new entity to manage commercial rights, raising around $4.2 billion from private investors. It would have marked the first time private capital was allowed to hold a stake in the World Cup's commercial rights.
Infantino apologized for the division the proposal caused, though the episode has shaken his previously unquestioned authority at the top of FIFA.
Internal letter to FIFA staff
According to two sources cited by Reuters, FIFA secretary general Mathias Grafström sent an internal letter to staff describing a sad and condemnable sequence of events that led to the plan being abandoned. Without naming Infantino, he said staff had found themselves at the center of turmoil that was difficult to understand and accept, and urged them to stay focused on FIFA's mission of serving its 211 member federations in full compliance with its statutes and regulations.
Arsène Wenger, FIFA's head of global football development, said he had no involvement in the plan and learned of it through media reports. The former Arsenal manager said withdrawing the plan was absolutely necessary and beyond question, adding that he believes firmly in an independent FIFA that serves football with transparency and integrity.
Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser, resigned last week, saying he categorically disagreed with the proposal. The Times reported that Infantino convened a meeting of senior FIFA officials in Rabat, Morocco, to manage the biggest internal crisis of his tenure.
Accusations of blackmail
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, publicly accused FIFA of trying to secure his support for Infantino by offering to help resolve problems facing Jordanian football. Writing on X, he said Jordan defends moral values, had not supported Infantino in the past and would not support him now, and that the whole situation amounted to blackmail Jordan would not give in to.
Federations withdraw support
Germany's football federation said it no longer supports Infantino, and the Dutch federation said it will not vote for him in FIFA's next election. Several more federations withdrew support on Monday, and three confederations are reportedly considering removing him from the presidency.
Five European federations, including England's FA, formally withdrew support for his re-election at FIFA's Congress, due to take place in March in Morocco, while Denmark said it had never planned to back him. The federations of Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Morocco reaffirmed their support for Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking to remain until 2031. Indonesia's federation also backed him.
FIFA denied as "pure fiction" a report that Infantino sought support from the administration of US President Donald Trump to stay in power.
Pressure from UEFA, CONCACAF and Asia
UEFA and CONCACAF said Saturday they have lost confidence in Infantino's leadership. The Asian Football Confederation stopped short of calling for his departure but called the lack of consultation over the plan completely unacceptable and demanded institutional reforms at FIFA.
The Times of London reported that UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC are considering paralyzing FIFA's operations or creating new competitions if Infantino refuses to step down. UEFA confirmed it has asked FIFA to preserve all documents related to the proposal and is considering legal action.
Africa's support seen as crucial
Infantino will now try to hold onto the backing of the 54 African federations, seen as decisive for his political survival. The Confederation of African Football has not taken an official position, though several senior figures in African football have already voiced public support for him.
His immediate priority is preventing an extraordinary FIFA congress, which can be triggered if at least 43 of the 211 member federations request one in writing. Before the November 18 candidacy deadline, he will try to win back lost alliances as opponents search for a single candidate to challenge him in FIFA's upcoming election.
