Regional Football Powerhouses Consider No Confidence Vote Against FIFA President Gianni Infantino
3 sources across 3 countries · Qatar · Spain · United Kingdom · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- Al Jazeera
- El Pais
- Reuters
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- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Three of FIFA's six continental confederations, UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF, are discussing a potential vote of no confidence to remove President Gianni Infantino from office. According to senior figures familiar with the discussions, the move follows a proposal by Infantino to sell a minority stake in a new FIFA commercial entity to private investors, which would have granted them control over the commercial rights of the World Cup. The three regional bodies have criticized the handling of this proposal, citing failures in transparency, consultation, and governance.
Under FIFA statutes, the Council can convene an Extraordinary Congress at any time, or must do so if one fifth of the 211 member associations submit a written request. While an Extraordinary Congress must be held within three months of such a request, FIFA statutes contain no specific provision governing a vote of no confidence in its president. One source told Reuters that Infantino must either decide not to stand for re-election in March or face the vote.
Infantino has expressed his intention to seek re-election at the March 2027 FIFA Congress and maintains significant support among member associations, particularly within Africa's confederation, CAF. Six Arab football associations, including Qatar and Morocco, have publicly backed him. FIFA leadership also reaffirmed its support for Infantino following a crisis meeting in Morocco earlier this month. Sources close to the matter noted that there are fears an unsuccessful challenge could actually strengthen Infantino's position ahead of next year's presidential election.
FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. UEFA referred to a previous statement calling for a thorough review of leadership where no option should be off the table, and CONCACAF referred to a joint statement accusing FIFA leadership of a fundamental breach of trust. The AFC did not immediately respond. The crisis has been further compounded by the departure of FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets detailed the specific governance failures and the lack of precedent for such a motion while highlighting the tension between regional powerhouses and FIFA leadership.
- Centre
- This outlet focused on the core news break regarding the potential ousting of the president based on source information.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: FIFA’s Infantino under threat of no-confidence vote by regional bodies
- Centre-left El Pais: UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF study a motion of censure to remove Gianni Infantino from the presidency of FIFA
- Centre Reuters: Regional powerhouses weigh no-confidence vote in bid to oust Infantino, sources say - Reuters
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.