Infantino Faces Backlash in Zurich After World Cup Stake Sale Collapse

Gianni Infantino will face football leaders calling for him to step down as FIFA president at his first meeting with the organisation's senior leadership since a plan to sell a stake in FIFA-run tournaments, including the World Cup, collapsed.

Infantino has come under mounting pressure to resign from the leaders of three regional confederations: UEFA (Europe), the AFC (Asia) and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean). Representatives of those bodies will be in Zurich for the FIFA Council meeting, alongside counterparts from Africa, South America and Oceania.

The agenda is expected to focus on the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, an initiative Infantino announced in July only to withdraw it within days. Under the proposal, Infantino sought to sell a minority stake in FIFA's commercial subsidiary to private investors, with a firm founded by Joshua Kushner – brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump – identified as the leading potential investor.

The 37-member Council will also discuss FIFA governance. Some of the most powerful figures in football are determined to curb Infantino's power if they cannot force him from office.

Infantino, 56, is set to stand for re-election in March 2027, with nominations closing on 18 November. Last week, former Switzerland and Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega declared his intention to run, but has yet to confirm whether he has the backing of the five national associations required to enter the race.

The FFE plan exposed divisions in world football, with Aleksander Ceferin, Salman Al Khalifa and Victor Montagliani – the presidents of UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF respectively – arguing it is time for a change of leadership at FIFA. Infantino, however, is lobbying for support and received a standing ovation when he met African football leaders in Cape Verde last week.

He is also expected to receive backing from South America in next year's election in Rabat, Morocco. Despite criticism from the AFC, many Asian countries, including a group of Arab nations, have voiced support.

FIFA Peace Prize awarded to Trump draws attention

According to Reuters, while the chances of finding a replacement for Infantino are slim, his opponents are determined to leave him more isolated and to restrain his power.

As well as reviewing the FFE, council members are expected to discuss FIFA's financial reserves, the sums that could be disbursed to member associations, disciplinary procedures, the governance framework and the Peace Prize – an award controversially given to US President Donald Trump last year.

Last month, UEFA and CONCACAF called on FIFA to pay $10m to each of its 211 member associations, countering Infantino's FFE proposal under which associations could receive $20m in development money and access a further $20m.

Emanuel Medeiros, founder and global chief executive of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance, a group campaigning for better sports governance, said FIFA needed a frank discussion in Zurich. "The whole world is watching them," he said. "The football world expects the council to seize this unique opportunity to establish a truly independent, comprehensive and transparent governance review... We certainly want to see fresh momentum, fresh life."

But lawyer and politician Miguel Maduro, who chaired FIFA's Governance Committee in 2016 before being dismissed by Infantino, said he would be surprised if Thursday's meeting produced anything meaningful. "They may announce the creation of a task force or even an independent review of FIFA governance, but the credibility of both moves will be very limited given FIFA's history," he said. "Such a review, if it is not genuinely independent and binding, may just be old wine in new bottles: a cosmetic move to ease public pressure and claim they have dealt with everything."

FIFA set to present $6.35bn development fund

According to AFP, FIFA is also planning to establish a $6.35bn development fund for the next four years, expected to be approved at Thursday's Council meeting. To finance the 2026-2030 fund, which would allow money to be distributed to FIFA's 211 member federations as well as regional confederations, FIFA will draw on part of its financial reserves after a commercially successful 2026 World Cup.

The plan, first reported by the Associated Press, would allow $25m to be paid to each of the 211 member federations – far more than the $10m demanded by two of Infantino's harshest critics, Ceferin and Montagliani.

Thursday's meeting is the first since 28 April, taking place amid a governance crisis in world football after Infantino announced earlier this year that he wanted to open FIFA's top competitions, such as the World Cup, to private investors.

The plan was ultimately abandoned in the face of widespread criticism from across football, with a revolt led by UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC. In late September, Infantino launched a consultation process with federations aimed at reforming how the global football governing body operates, announcing that the first proposals could be considered at Thursday's meeting.

Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, is running for a new term in March 2027. His opponents have so far failed to unite behind a candidate. Ceferin has chosen to run for another term at UEFA, and according to some media reports, Montagliani is expected to do the same at CONCACAF. The deadline for nominations is 18 November.