UEFA has intensified its push to remove Gianni Infantino as FIFA president, contacting the English Football Association and other federations and identifying potential successors after the FIFA chief's re-election support collapsed.
Failed World Cup investment plan
The current FIFA president saw his backing for a fourth term dwindle after his attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors fell apart. UEFA, along with CONCACAF and the AFC, opposed the proposal, effectively killing it off. The scheme had been devised to strengthen Infantino's position ahead of the next election, but it now threatens to bring about his downfall.
UEFA's strategy to oust Infantino
UEFA is now examining the most effective means of deposing Infantino, who has occupied the role for 10 years. According to Sky News, the manoeuvres are "accelerating" and there exists "a determined effort" to remove him, with the report suggesting it is not a matter of if, but when.
The simplest solution would be to force Infantino to step down. Failing that, 43 of FIFA's 211 associations would need to request an emergency congress to hold a vote of no confidence. Another possibility is to mobilise support behind a challenger in the forthcoming election.
Ceferin's request and possible challengers
TalkSPORT claim that UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has made a special request to federations that previously supported Infantino for a fourth term, including the English FA, to withdraw their endorsements. CONCACAF chief Victor Montagliani and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi could be proposed as candidates against Infantino.
Whichever route is chosen, UEFA is evidently resolved to harness the current momentum to drive enduring reform at FIFA.
UEFA statement hits out at FIFA leadership
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."
UEFA added that it would work with its associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to reflect on how the situation happened and devise a plan to make sure it cannot occur again. The review, it said, should be thorough and fundamental, with no option 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," the statement said, recalling Infantino's 2016 promise of transparency and his assertion that FIFA's money belonged to the national associations.
UEFA noted that with reserves standing at over $5bn, Infantino had failed to use associations' money for the benefit of the game. The "shabby, back room, opaque deal" he tried to force through was anything but transparent, and UEFA proposed using existing resources through the FIFA Forward programme to kick-start grassroots football in all 211 countries, adding: "We don't need to sell off the family silver to pay for it."
The statement concluded: "This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun."
