Infantino on the brink? Who might replace him if he goes?
Fifa president Gianni Infantino is in the eye of a storm after scrapping his attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup. If he goes, who comes in?
As Fifa president Gianni Infantino faces mounting criticism over controversial plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors, the football world is left wondering who might replace him should he step down. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, fans of the game, and even Uefa have condemned Infantino's proposals, with Uefa declaring it has lost confidence in his leadership.
Concacaf and the AFC have also voiced their concerns about the governance of FIFA under Infantino's reign. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's special adviser and appointed by Trump as senior adviser to the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, has since resigned, further tarnishing Infantino's standing. Former FA chairman David Bernstein believes Infantino might be shown the door due to the magnitude of his mistakes, but notes that FIFA is not a normal organization and if enough national associations support him, he will continue.
Former Vice-President Jim Boyce thinks Infantino will still have enough support to be re-elected, but cautions that if things continue, the outcome remains uncertain. Infantino, who has been FIFA president since 2016, was elected by beating Sheikh Salman Al-Khalifa by 115 votes to 88. His re-election was expected, as was the case with Blatter in 2007, 2011 and 1998.
The fate of Infantino's presidency hangs in the balance, with many questions remaining about his future and the potential leadership that may take his place.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
