Calls Grow for Infantino's Resignation Amid FIFA Trust Crisis
WHO:
AP - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated, "I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage."
AP - The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) stated that FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.”
AP - UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin is reportedly encouraging federations that previously backed Infantino to withdraw their support.
AP - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated, "The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable."
AP - UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin is reportedly encouraging federations that previously backed Infantino to withdraw their support.
AP - Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to Infantino, resigned, stating he opposed the plans “unequivocally.”
AP - The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.”
AP - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated, "The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable."
AP - UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin is reportedly encouraging federations that previously backed Infantino to withdraw their support.
AP - Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to Infantino, resigned, stating he opposed the plans “unequivocally.”
AP - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated, "The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable."
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had broken promises made during his election in 2016 regarding transparency and the management of FIFA's finances.
AP - The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.”
AP - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated, "I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage."
AP - UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin is reportedly encouraging federations that previously backed Infantino to withdraw their support.
CNN - Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
CNN - Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to Infantino, resigned
CNN - Andy Burnham, British Prime Minister
CNN - UEFA, European soccer’s governing body
CNN - CONCACAF, governing body for North and Central American soccer
CNN - Joshua Kushner, linked to the proposed investment group
CNN - Donald Trump, U.S. President
WHAT:
AP - Infantino's plan would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, potentially rising to $40 million by the end of the 2030 cycle.
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had broken promises made during his election in 2016 regarding transparency and the management of FIFA's finances.
AP - Infantino's proposal aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling a 20% stake in a new entity overseeing FIFA competitions.
AP - Infantino's proposal would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, potentially rising to $40 million by the end of the 2030 cycle.
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had broken promises made during his election in 2016 regarding transparency and the management of FIFA's finances.
AP - UEFA declared it has lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
AP - Infantino's plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup was abandoned.
AP - Infantino stated, "Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place."
AP - Infantino's proposal would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, potentially rising to $40 million by the end of the 2030 cycle.
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had broken promises made during his election in 2016 regarding transparency and the management of FIFA's finances.
AP - UEFA declared it has lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
AP - Infantino's plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup was abandoned.
AP - Infantino's plan would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, potentially rising to $40 million by the end of the 2030 cycle.
AP - UEFA welcomed the decision by FIFA to withdraw its plan but laid bare its unhappiness with Infantino, stating, "We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game."
AP - Infantino stated, "Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place."
AP - Infantino's proposal would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, potentially rising to $40 million by the end of the 2030 cycle.
AP - Infantino's plan was to create a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage commercial aspects of FIFA events, aiming to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling a 20% stake.
CNN - UEFA declared it has lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
CNN - Infantino's plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup was abandoned.
CNN - The proposal aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling a 20% stake in a new entity overseeing FIFA competitions.
CNN - UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA events if the proposal proceeded.
CNN - Infantino stated, "The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent."
HuffPost - Jim Boyce called the proposal “ludicrous” and said FIFA must focus on fans' interests.
AP - Infantino's plan would have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027.
WHERE:
CNN - FIFA headquarters in Switzerland
AP - The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place in Morocco.
WHEN:
AP - The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco.
AP - The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is November 18, 2026.
AP - The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco.
AP - The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is November 18, 2026.
AP - The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco.
AP - The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is November 18, 2026.
AP - The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco.
AP - The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is November 18, 2026.
AP - The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is November 18, 2026.
AP - The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027.
AP - The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027.
AP - The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is November 18, 2026.
CNN - UEFA's statement was released on a Saturday morning.
WHY:
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had lost their “confidence” and that of other members of the football family with a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”
AP - Infantino faced backlash for a proposal perceived as threatening the "soul and governance" of the game.
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had lost their “confidence” and that of other members of the football family with a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”
AP - Infantino faced backlash for a proposal perceived as threatening the "soul and governance" of the game.
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had lost their “confidence” and that of other members of the football family with a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”
AP - Infantino faced backlash for a proposal perceived as threatening the "soul and governance" of the game.
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had lost their “confidence” and that of other members of the football family with a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”
AP - UEFA stated that Infantino had broken promises made during his election in 2016 regarding transparency and the management of FIFA's finances.
CNN - Infantino faced backlash for a proposal perceived as threatening the "soul and governance" of the game.
CNN - The plan was criticized for being developed without proper consultation with stakeholders.
HOW:
AP - Infantino's plan involved private equity investment, with Thrive Eternal, linked to Joshua Kushner, expected to be the lead investor.
AP - Infantino's plan involved private equity investment, with Thrive Eternal, linked to Joshua Kushner, expected to be the lead investor.
AP - Infantino's plan involved private equity investment, with Thrive Eternal, linked to Joshua Kushner, expected to be the lead investor.
AP - Infantino's plan involved private equity investment, with Thrive Eternal, linked to Joshua Kushner, expected to be the lead investor.
CNN - Infantino proposed creating a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage commercial aspects of FIFA events.
CNN - The proposal was met with immediate backlash from UEFA and other confederations, leading to Infantino's decision to withdraw it.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has expressed his belief that FIFA President Gianni Infantino is not the right person to lead football on the world stage, while UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin is urging federations that once supported Infantino to reconsider their backing. Infantino's controversial plan aimed to provide each of FIFA's 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, potentially increasing to $40 million by the end of the 2030 cycle, but has faced criticism for lacking transparency and threatening the integrity of the sport. The next FIFA presidential election is set for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco, with candidates needing to declare by November 18, 2026.