A proposal that would have given Gianni Infantino a £22.2 million annual salary through FIFA's Forward Enterprise scheme has been scrapped after furious opposition from UEFA, the FA and CONCACAF. The FIFA president has faced widespread criticism this summer over a controversial World Cup and the organisation's plan to sell commercial stakes in its premier competitions.
Backlash against World Cup stake sale
UEFA and the English FA condemned the scheme, which would have allowed FIFA to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Member associations vowed to boycott the tournament altogether.
According to The Times, Infantino could have made tens of millions of pounds through FFE, which has since been abandoned after the backlash. UEFA said it has lost confidence in the FIFA president.
A UEFA statement read: "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."
FA and CONCACAF weigh in
The English FA backed UEFA's stance. A spokesperson said: "We fully support UEFA's position. It is time for a full and robust review of FIFA's leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart."
CONCACAF, meanwhile, called for a "comprehensive reckoning" of Infantino's presidency. A statement said: "It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first. This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour."
Infantino defends FFE consultation
Infantino claimed the FFE idea was only a consultation exercise. However, sources close to the scheme claimed the intention was for the FIFA president to become chief executive or commissioner, landing a salary of around £22.2 million annually before bonuses. FIFA, however, refute claims that the idea was discussed.
In a statement, Infantino said: "The FFE project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA member associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed."
"And, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the member associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA council, the confederations and wider stakeholders."
"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place."
"Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."
"Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support."
