Ghana: Uefa, AFC, Concacaf Hit Out At Infantino Over World Cup Privatisation Plan

Opposition Grows Over Abandoned World Cup Investment Plan

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing intensifying opposition from within world football's governing structure after his proposal to sell future World Cup profits to private investors was abandoned. According to a report cited by Africa News, football confederations from Europe, Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean are in talks about seeking a vote of no confidence against Infantino over the now-aborted plan.

The proposal, which would have created a commercial body for FIFA tournament rights and sold off 20% to private investors, was shelved in early August amid widespread criticism. The plan's collapse has triggered a wave of dissent from key confederations, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF voicing concerns over FIFA's direction.

UEFA has led the charge, vowing to boycott the World Cup if Infantino's plan had gone ahead. Even after the proposal was withdrawn, UEFA said the boycott would stand until it received assurance that such attempts would never be made again, as reported by Africa News.

Players and Fans Demand Change

A group of former international players, including World Cup winners and FIFA legends, called for immediate change at FIFA, saying its leadership under Infantino had been "blinded by power." The group includes France's 1998 men's World Cup winners Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu, and Robert Pires, as well as American former women's world champion Briana Scurry and former England international Lucy Bronze. Also among them are Claudio Pizarro, Juan Sebastian Veron, Emmanuel Adebayor, Didier Drogba, and David James, according to reports from The Straits Times, Dawn, and The Star.

"We share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world," the group said. "Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership's ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football." They called on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of the sport, saying "those who step onto the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a genuine voice."

Fan groups have also mobilized, launching a petition demanding Infantino's resignation with the hashtag #InfantinoOut. The petition, reported by Africa News, calls the abandoned plan "a betrayal football will never forget" and urges FIFA to be rebuilt so that "the current debacle can never happen again."

Confederal Letter and Institutional Criticism

In a joint letter, UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC declared that football "belongs to no individual," as reported by AllAfrica. "Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding or demanding power to be held," they wrote. "When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned."

The three confederations called for a fully independent review into the stake sale proposal and criticized a FIFA emergency meeting in Morocco, saying there was only one elected official present. They described the episode as a "profound failure of judgement."

FIFA hit back on Saturday, claiming "a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine" the governing body and Infantino, according to AllAfrica. FIFA also apologized to the 211 federations at the emergency meeting.

Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness called on Infantino to step down immediately, as reported by AllAfrica. The six Nordic football associations issued a statement saying they "lost confidence in the FIFA president," according to The Guardian.

Ceferin's Sharp Criticism

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has been particularly outspoken, describing Infantino's plan as "even worse than the Super League plan," in an interview with the podcast The Rest is Politics: Leading, reported by The Guardian. "In the first case, super-important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong and would destroy football. But in this case, football would be literally sold," Ceferin said.

Ceferin warned that Infantino will face an opponent if he runs for re-election in March. He ruled out making his own bid for the FIFA presidency but noted that Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has been tipped as a potential challenger. Ceferin also commented on Infantino's relationship with US President Donald Trump, calling it naive to think politicians are your friends. He cited Trump's request to review a red card given to Folarin Balogun, a ban that was later suspended, as "shocking."

Support for Infantino

Despite the pressure, Infantino retains support in some quarters. Samuel Eto'o, head of Cameroon's football association and a former star striker, said Infantino "hasn't done anything wrong," as reported by Al Jazeera. Eto'o suggested the backlash was driven by political manoeuvring ahead of FIFA's presidential election. "I think the timing of all of that is because there's an election coming out," he told CNN. Eto'o praised Infantino for giving opportunities to smaller nations and helping African federations develop.

CAF earlier this month "unanimously reconfirmed its support" for Infantino, according to AllAfrica. Mexico from CONCACAF and South American countries including Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Bolivia have also backed him. Almost 70 of FIFA's 211 member associations have said publicly they will vote for Infantino, while about a dozen have withdrawn or said they won't vote, per AllAfrica.

What's Next

Infantino has held the FIFA presidency since 2016 and is up for re-election next year. According to Africa News, FIFA's statutes do not include specific provisions for a vote of no confidence against its president, but the dissenting confederations could demand an Extraordinary Congress to table the issue with the backing of one fifth of the body's 211 members.

Meanwhile, Infantino was seen meeting Cristiano Ronaldo at the Esports World Cup in Paris over the weekend, with footage showing him offering best wishes on Ronaldo's pursuit of his 1,000th career goal, per GIVEMESPORT. He also attended the event's closing ceremony, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron, as reported by The Guardian. When asked by Sky News' James Matthews why he hasn't resigned, Infantino mocked the reporter's lack of hair, according to GIVEMESPORT.

Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.