Fifa warns of effort to undermine Infantino as leadership crisis deepens

Fifa issued a stern warning on Saturday against a coordinated campaign to undermine president Gianni Infantino, insisting any challenge to his leadership must comply with the organization's statutes and democratic procedures. The warning emerged as tensions escalated following Infantino's proposal to raise approximately US$4.2 billion by selling stakes in World Cup and other tournament commercial rights, which met with opposition from UEFA, national associations, and senior Fifa officials.

This led to calls for Infantino's resignation and a crisis meeting in Morocco where Fifa reaffirmed its backing for the president. Fifa did not disclose the entities allegedly attempting to undermine Infantino or the specific reports and allegations under discussion. The organization's stance came in response to reports by The Telegraph concerning payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino's tenure as the European governing body's general secretary, claims which Infantino has refuted and Fifa has dismissed as baseless.

Fifa emphasized that any faction lacking the backing of its Member Associations should not resort to allegations, insinuations, or misinformation to achieve their goals when Fifa's established democratic processes are available. The organization stressed that recent reporting featured unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims about itself and its president, pledging to confront inaccurate or misleading reports directly and vigorously.

Infantino, democratically elected by Fifa's member associations, continues to serve with their mandate, despite the ongoing crisis. The European governing body UEFA has expressed a lack of confidence in Infantino, while Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness called for his resignation, citing a loss of institutional trust.

However, Infantino maintains broad support among Fifa's 211 members, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously endorsing his leadership and CONMEBOL rejecting any attempt to remove him without a vote of all Fifa members. Mexico's football federation (FMF) also backed Infantino, rejecting any process not conducted within the established institutional framework.