Fifa President Gianni Infantino is facing significant pressure after major football governing bodies, including Uefa and Concacaf, publicly criticized his leadership. The backlash follows Fifa's decision to abandon a plan that would have allowed private investors to purchase stakes in a new commercial subsidiary, Fifa Forward Enterprise, which was intended to manage major events like the World Cup.
Uefa, the governing body for European football, issued a sharp rebuke, accusing the current leadership of failing to uphold promises of transparency and development made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Describing the scrapped proposal as a "shabby, back room, opaque deal," Uefa stated that the leadership has lost the confidence of the football community. The organization further called for accountability, stating that "the task of rebuilding trust in Fifa has only just begun."
Concacaf, which oversees football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, also demanded a "full review" of Fifa's leadership. While not naming Infantino directly, the body characterized the investment proposal as a "symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first." The Football Association and the Norwegian Football Federation have echoed these calls for a robust governance review.
The proposal, which reportedly involved the venture capital firm Thrive Eternal, faced widespread opposition, including threats from Uefa to boycott World Cups if the plan proceeded. Internal fallout from the project has already resulted in the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, who labeled the plan a "bad deal for football."
Despite the mounting criticism ahead of his re-election bid in March, Infantino has received support from the Qatar Football Association. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, president of the Qatar FA, praised the decision to prioritize unity and reaffirmed support for the president's efforts to grow the game.
Source: BBC News
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