WeeklySA_AdminSIEGE: World football is splitting into rival camps over Gianni Infantino’s leadership, with UEFA and several influential associations withdrawing support while Africa, Argentina, Mexico and other allies rally behind the embattled FIFA president…
By WSAM Sports Correspondent
A high-stakes battle over Gianni Infantino’s future is gathering momentum as football associations and continental confederations adopt opposing positions on whether the embattled FIFA president still commands the confidence to lead the global game.
While UEFA maintains its threat to boycott FIFA competitions and several national federations withdraw support for Infantino, powerful blocs in Africa and parts of Latin America have rallied behind him.
The widening division — triggered by the collapse of his controversial World Cup investment proposal — is rapidly developing into a struggle over FIFA’s leadership, governance and commercial direction ahead of its presidential election in March 2027.
In the latest demonstration of support, the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee unanimously endorsed a joint update from Infantino and FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafström on the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
The committee also “unanimously reconfirmed” its support for Infantino and thanked him for his contribution to African football since becoming FIFA president in 2016.
The widening division is rapidly developing into a struggle over
FIFA’s leadership, governance and commercial direction…
CAF’s intervention came as Infantino confronted the most serious revolt of his decade-long presidency. UEFA has maintained a threat by its 55 member associations to boycott FIFA competitions, while national federations and prominent football figures have questioned whether he retains the institutional credibility to lead the global game.
At the centre of the crisis is the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE — a new commercial company that would have taken control of the operational and commercial delivery of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
The plan envisaged a business valued at about $20 billion, with FIFA seeking to raise as much as $4.2 billion from private investors through the sale of a minority stake. Each of FIFA’s 211 member associations was promised an additional $20 million in development funding for the 2027–2030 cycle.
FIFA insisted that it would retain permanent control of the company and that the arrangement would unlock unprecedented investment in infrastructure, coaching, national teams, grassroots football and the women’s game.
“Nobody is selling football,” FIFA said while defending the proposal on July 30. It also argued that the initiative would not proceed without majority support from its member associations. FIFA’s explanation of the FFE proposal
But critics were less concerned about the promise of development money than about how a deal carrying enormous consequences for the ownership and future commercial direction of the World Cup had been developed.
National associations, members of the FIFA Council, players’ representatives and some senior FIFA officials said they had been excluded from the process. The uproar forced FIFA to withdraw the proposal and acknowledge that it had mishandled the initiative.
In the joint update endorsed by CAF, Infantino and Grafström conceded that “mistakes were made” and apologised for leaving the FIFA Council and member associations feeling excluded.
“It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and it should have been handled differently,” they said.
The proposal was taken off the table, while FIFA promised an internal review and a report to the next scheduled meeting of the FIFA Council. However, the leadership maintained that its actions had complied with FIFA’s regulatory framework.
That distinction — between regulatory compliance and credible governance — has failed to satisfy Infantino’s opponents.
UEFA said withdrawing the proposal met only one of its conditions. It also wanted binding assurances that no similar attempt to restructure or commercialise FIFA’s major competitions would be made again. The European body said FIFA’s internal declaration of support for Infantino “changes nothing” about its loss of confidence in his presidency.
The threatened boycott could affect the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, scheduled to begin on September 5, if FIFA and UEFA fail to resolve the dispute. UEFA’s continuing opposition
The global players’ union, FIFPRO, has described the process behind FFE as an abuse of presidential power and demanded governance reforms, including voting representation for players on the FIFA Council.
FIFA’s chief of global football development, Arsène Wenger, also distanced himself from the proposal and said it was essential that the plan be abandoned. Chief operating officer Kevin Lamour reportedly characterised it as “the project of one person” and accused the leadership of failing to be open with FIFA staff.
The criticism has spread beyond Europe. South American governing body CONMEBOL, historically an important Infantino ally, expressed concern over what it called repeated unilateral actions undertaken without sufficient dialogue or use of FIFA’s established institutional mechanisms.
Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness has gone further, calling on Infantino to resign and saying he no longer possesses the institutional trust needed to govern FIFA. The English Football Association and Croatia have withdrawn their support for his expected re-election campaign. Latest federation responses
Against that gathering dissent, CAF’s 54 associations could prove decisive. Africa is FIFA’s largest continental bloc after Europe and has largely supported Infantino during his presidency. Its votes will carry substantial weight should he seek another term at the FIFA election scheduled for March 2027.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe welcomed FIFA’s apology but sought to frame the African body’s support within a commitment to accountable administration.
“For us in Africa, adherence to governance, due process and transparency is crucial and non-negotiable,” Motsepe said.
He added that CAF would continue working with FIFA, the other confederations and football stakeholders to safeguard global governance standards, while concentrating on the development of African players, coaches, national teams and domestic leagues.
The statement nevertheless highlights the difficult position confronting African football. CAF has benefited significantly from FIFA development funding and from Infantino’s political support for expanded African representation in global competitions. Motsepe has also previously described the FIFA president as a loyal friend of the continent.
Five influential African officials — CAF vice-president Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida, Niger’s Hamidou Djibrilla, Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and former CAF secretary-general Véron Mosengo-Omba — have separately supported Infantino, according to Reuters.
Support has also come from Argentina and Mexico, demonstrating that the revolt is not yet universal. But the controversy has opened a deeper battle over whether FIFA should remain a federation governed collectively by its associations or become increasingly driven by centralised commercial decision-making under its president.
CAF’s endorsement has given Infantino vital political breathing room. It has not, however, settled the argument over his leadership.
For Africa, the test will be whether its support amounts to approval of FIFA’s promised corrective measures — or an unconditional defence of a president whose methods are now being openly challenged across the football world.
