Uefa maintains stance on Fifa president despite backing from management board

By Arjun Nair / 06.08.2026

By Arjun Nair — 6 August 2026 — 4 min read

Uefa’s Continued Dissatisfaction

Uefa has stated that Fifa’s backing of its president, Gianni Infantino, does not alter its position regarding his leadership. The European governing body previously expressed a loss of confidence in Infantino’s presidency, a stance it continues to uphold. This comes after Fifa’s management board affirmed its support for Infantino following the withdrawal of a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

The proposed plan, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), involved offering associations $40m if they supported private investment in tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. Uefa had previously labelled the FFE proposal a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”

Uefa’s conditions for reversing its stance were that the proposals to sell off major competitions had to be withdrawn, and assurances had to be made that such attempts to “disfigure the game” would not be made again. According to Uefa, these conditions have not been met.

Reactions and Boycott Threats

The English FA has formally withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election, which is scheduled for March 2027. This action was taken in response to the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. The world players’ union, FIFPRO, also condemned what it termed an “abuse of presidential power” and called for changes at the top of Fifa.

FIFPRO noted Fifa’s statement with “deep concern” and criticised the governing body for enabling the plans. The union demanded “legally-binding engagement” with professional football stakeholders on issues such as the international match calendar and the expansion of Fifa competitions, as well as voting rights on the Fifa Council. It also called for governance and structural reforms to prevent any individual from making unilateral decisions in the future.

Uefa has reiterated its threat of a boycott of Fifa tournaments. This stance will be tested with the Fifa Women’s U20s World Cup, where six European countries, including England, are expected to participate. For senior national teams, another significant test for the boycott could occur in October, when England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland are scheduled to compete in play-offs for qualification to the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Fifa’s Response and Internal Dynamics

During a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, Fifa acknowledged that “mistakes” were made regarding the FFE proposal. The organisation stated it was “not the intention” for the Fifa Council and member associations to “feel excluded from the process” and admitted the process “should have been handled differently.” Fifa also issued a warning that it “will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process.”

Despite the criticisms, Infantino received the “full support” of Fifa’s management board. This support included secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who had previously criticised the FFE proposals in an internal memo. Infantino and Grafstrom were later pictured together at a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia.

Some within Uefa believe Infantino is attempting to avoid personal responsibility by distributing blame for the withdrawn proposals. They suggest he should have apologised directly, rather than issuing an expression of regret alongside Grafstrom. Conversely, some Infantino loyalists within Fifa view the outcry, particularly in Europe, as “hysteria” and believe it disregards his global legitimacy.

The option of a vote of no confidence remains available to Uefa, which could be triggered via an extraordinary congress. However, this would require a majority of Fifa’s 211 member associations, specifically 106 votes, to pass the motion. Another option for Uefa is to find a unity candidate to challenge Infantino in the presidential election scheduled for March.

Kevin Lamour, Fifa’s chief operating officer, strongly criticised Infantino’s FFE plan, describing it as “the project of one person.” Lamour stated that “the time has now come for football’s political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.” Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s personal senior advisor, resigned on July 31, calling the proposals a “bad deal” and “irresponsible.”

Fifa has committed to conducting a review into the situation, with a report into its findings to be presented at the next Fifa Council meeting, which comprises 37 national representatives.

Source: bbc.com