The 3 Weeks That Brought Gianni Infantino and FIFA to the Brink

In the intense battle to retain his position as FIFA president, Gianni Infantino launched a fierce attack to counter the criticism and skepticism surrounding him. After overseeing the most lucrative World Cup in history, Infantino felt it was his duty to defend the beautiful game against detractors. On a seemingly unprovoked night, the powerful soccer leader shared a 15-post slideshow on Instagram, expressing regret to those who had missed the World Cup due to their focus on hate and criticism.

He implored them to show love instead, marking the beginning of a dramatic saga that would tarnish his leadership and reputation, potentially even costing him his job.

Less than two days after the Instagram post, Infantino became the target of widespread "hate and criticism" when his controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup leaked to the media. The $20 billion commercial engine, called FIFA Forward Enterprise, sought $4.2 billion in outside capital, promising each of FIFA's 211 national soccer federations $40 million for the next World Cup cycle.

The proposal, which had only a small group of insiders overseeing, faced harsh criticism from soccer leaders around the world due to the lack of oversight and the perceived bribery tactics used to gain acceptance from national federations.

Within a week, the doomed proposal was abandoned, and FIFA publicly apologized for keeping stakeholders in the dark and for their subsequent communications. However, the backlash against Infantino continued. Prior to FFE, most of FIFA's member associations had supported Infantino in the upcoming presidential election. Now, continental soccer bodies and national federations were divided into pro- and anti-Infantino factions.

Europe announced it would boycott all FIFA tournaments until changes were made, and even within FIFA's highest levels, Infantino had to regain the support of his top executives who had publicly criticized the FFE plan.

Infantino's presidency has been plagued with detractors since its beginning in 2016. His friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump, the treatment of migrant workers before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and his close relationship with Vladimir Putin during the 2018 World Cup in Russia have all drawn criticism. Europe's confederation, UEFA, has a particularly strained relationship with FIFA, as the two are competitors.

Although Infantino had maintained a broad base of support due to his efforts to increase cash flows and opportunities for smaller countries, the FFE proposal opened the floodgates for dissent.

Now, critics question whether a leader who pushed such a controversial plan should be in charge of soccer's global governing body. The presidents of Africa's, Europe's, North America's, and Asia's confederations have voiced their opinions, with the latter three publishing a letter expressing that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment, a fundamental breach of trust.

While some member associations have aligned themselves with Infantino, others, including Mexico and several in Asia, have withdrawn their support. The outcome of this internal conflict will ultimately determine the future of FIFA and the fate of its leader, Gianni Infantino.