08/08/2026

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SATURDAY | AUG 8, 2026

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P RESSURE continued to mount on Fifa president Gianni Infantino yesterday after European football’s gov erning body Uefa reiterated its threat to boycott Fifa competitions over his abandoned plan to bring private investment into the World Cup and other major tournaments. The controversy, which has engulfed world football for more than a week, has placed Infantino under the most intense scrutiny of his dec ade-long presidency, with questions being raised over his leadership style, decision-making process and future at the head of the global game. The 56-year-old Swiss official has faced criticism from several major football bodies, including South American governing body Conmebol, although he received backing from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which reaffirmed its support following an emergency meeting. Infantino secured the “full sup port” of senior Fifa directors during talks in Morocco on Wednesday, but Uefa responded with a strongly worded statement, insisting its con cerns had not been fully addressed despite Fifa withdrawing the contro versial proposal. The European body’s opposition was considered a key factor in forcing Infantino to abandon plans for the creation of Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a commercial subsidiary that Fifa said could have raised up to US$4.2 billion (RM17.6b) through pri vate investment. The proposed venture, valued at around US$20 billion (RM84 billion), would have allowed minority inves tors to purchase stakes while Fifa retained majority control. The plan was intended to manage commercial operations linked to major events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup. Fifa argued that the initiative would have unlocked new revenue streams and increased investment in football development programmes around the world. However, critics questioned whether football’s biggest competitions should be opened to outside investors and raised concerns over transparency and governance. Uefa strongly objected to the pro posal, accusing Fifa of attempting to commercialise football’s most valu able properties without sufficient consultation with key stakeholders. “Uefa’s associations were very

Sorry no cure Uefa maintains boycott threat as African confederation backs Fifa boss Infantino

ership of repeatedly making unilateral decisions without proper consulta tion. “The Council unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature,” Conmebol said. The South American body, how ever, said it would only support a democratic contest if a challenger emerges before the nomination dead line on Nov 18. Further pressure came from Fifpro, the global players’ union, which described the FFE proposal as “a pro found abuse of presidential power”. Despite the criticism, Infantino continues to enjoy significant support from CAF, which unanimously reaf firmed its backing for the Fifa presi dent. Several African football leaders have defended Infantino, with South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie urging the continent to resist what he described as the “public lynching” of the Swiss official. CAF has traditionally maintained a close relationship with Infantino, who has focused heavily on expanding development funding and increasing investment in African football since taking office in 2016. Conmebol also expressed regret that the controversy had overshad owed the success of the 2026 World Cup, the first edition expanded to 48 teams and staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States. The South American body praised the tournament’s organisation but warned that internal disputes should not damage football’s global unity. Infantino, who succeeded Sepp Blatter in 2016 after the corruption scandal that shook Fifa, has survived previous challenges and strength ened his position through increased commercial revenues and expanded international competitions. However, the latest crisis has united some of his strongest critics and exposed divisions among foot ball’s power brokers. With Uefa maintaining its opposi tion, Conmebol demanding greater consultation and several federations reconsidering their support, Infantino now faces one of the most serious challenges of his presidency just months before the election process begins. – AFP

Fifa president Gianni Infantino. – AI GENERATED IMAGE

Several Uefa member associations have since withdrawn support for Infantino’s bid to secure a fourth and final term at Fifa’s presidential elec tion in Rabat next March, increasing speculation over whether opposition could develop into a formal chal lenge. Criticism also came from Conmebol, which accused Fifa’s lead

Uefa added that it had already lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership and warned that withdrawing the FFE proposal alone was not enough to resolve the dispute. “Uefa made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds,” it said.

clear about the conditions attached to their non-participation in Fifa compe titions,” the European body said. “First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be with drawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to dis figure the game in this way will never be made again. These conditions have not been met.”

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