Uefa has warned Gianni Infantino that his style of leadership cannot continue in demanding a thorough and fundamental review of Fifa’s governance. In a strongly worded statement that referred to “secret schemes”, “shabby backroom deals” and “faceless individuals”, the Uefa leadership made clear it wants change at the top of Fifa, despite the world governing … Read more
Infantino came to wider public attention, and attracted further criticism, during this summer’s World Cup, which was staged in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The tournament made headlines before a ball was kicked, with visas to the United States delayed – and even denied – for supporters, coaching staff and officials. In May, Iran’s base … Read more
Fifa and Infantino wanted to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, with external investors able to buy stakes in it. It said it would “invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments” in a new subsidiary – Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). Infantino set a deadline of 19 September … Read more
Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell chunks of the World Cup to private investors has sensationally collapsed, with the Fifa president admitting the project “has created divisions of a nature that are no longer of the interest of the objective”, amid widespread anger globally. The plan had caused ructions within football around the world, leading Uefa … Read more
Victor Montagliani (Concacaf president) Like Infantino, he was elected in 2016 promising governance reform. A former president of Canada Soccer, as co-chair, Montagliani was heavily involved in the build up to, and delivery of the 2026 World Cup, the first to be hosted by three nations. He is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish, as … Read more
What has been happening? It has been a week that has rocked football. The news caught everyone by surprise. When reports first emerged on Tuesday afternoon that Fifa, world football’s governing body, was to launch a vehicle to control the commercial rights to the World Cup, and would sell a stake of this company to … Read more
While Uefa members are among the richest on the planet, many other nations rely on Fifa funding for basic infrastructure. While the AFC opposes Infantino’s plan, unlike Uefa it has not threatened to boycott Fifa competitions. AFC members would not be obliged to vote against the proposals. Rogers Byamukama, of the Ugandan Football Federation, argued … Read more
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has hit out at FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Burnham is a long-outspoken advocate of fan causes and has been particularly vocal in his criticisms of FIFA, going all the way back to their award of the 2018 World Cup to Russia. And Burnham believes that FIFA’s plans to involve private … Read more
The very future of international football currently hangs in the balance after a dramatic week in the FIFA world. And you thought football governance was boring. FIFA’s plans to bring private investors into the running of its competitions prompted fury the world over, with politicians and FIFA members all expressing their outrage. UEFA member have … Read more
Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president looks precarious after a PR nightmare of a week. The world governing body’s announcement of plans to bring private investors on board to help run FIFA competitions – including both World Cups – has been met with outrage, derision, and promises of boycotts from both UEFA and CONCACAF, with … Read more