FIFA's decision to scrap a plan to sell a stake in the World Cup has done nothing to silence calls for Gianni Infantino to quit, with 99% of respondents to a Mirror Football poll saying he should go.
The proposal, announced earlier this week, drew criticism from fans, governing bodies and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. There were suggestions that some confederations would consider boycotting FIFA-organised competitions. Infantino and FIFA then cancelled the proposal in its entirety, but the 56-year-old president has not escaped criticism.
Poll: 99% want Infantino out
Mirror Football has been running a poll asking readers whether Infantino should resign. In total, 6,832 fans had their say, and 99% suggested his position was now untenable.
UEFA and CONCACAF lose confidence
UEFA has declared a loss of confidence in the current president. In a statement on Saturday, UEFA said: "We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.
"It is right that, in the coming days and weeks, UEFA will work with its associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again. That review should be thorough and fundamental. No option should be off the table. The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.
"When Gianni Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of FIFA's Member Associations to elect him as their President in 2016, he said, 'Of course we have to be transparent. I have been this in the last 15 years of my life in UEFA. You will have to play a part every day in the life of FIFA,' before telling the assembled stakeholders, 'The money of FIFA is your money. It's not the money of the FIFA President. It's your money. You are the national associations and the money of FIFA has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.'
"On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent."
CONCACAF followed suit with its own scathing statement.
Qatar backs Infantino
The Qatar Football Association has spoken out in support. A statement read: "We welcome FIFA President Gianni Infantino's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal in the interest of the global football community.
"While the proposal had merit, we applaud the wisdom behind prioritising unity among Member Associations. The Qatar Football Association fully supports President Infantino's efforts to continue growing and strengthening the game globally."
