Sources said that the three continental federations, namely the European Union (UEFA), the Asian Confederation and the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), are considering the option of voting no confidence in Gianni Infantino. Reuters did not observe any precedent, during the 122-year history of FIFA, in which the International Federation’s General Assembly held a vote of no confidence in a president during his tenure in office.
“There is no other way out. Either he leaves quietly and decides not to run in March, or he leaves the hard way,” one of the sources said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions, referring to the possibility of putting forward a vote of no confidence.
Under the FIFA Statutes, the International Federation Council has the right to call for an extraordinary general assembly at any time, and it also becomes obligated to do so if at least five of the 211 member associations submit a written request specifying the items to be included on the agenda. The extraordinary conference must then be held within three months, with each member union present having one vote. The FIFA statute does not include any specific text regulating the mechanism for voting of no confidence in the president.
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment submitted by Reuters. UEFA also refrained from commenting directly on whether the option of no confidence was up for discussion, referring only to its previous position, which called for a “comprehensive and radical” review of FIFA’s leadership and governance system, stressing that “no option should be excluded.”
Infantino had confirmed his intention to run for a new term during the FIFA General Assembly meeting scheduled for March 2027, and he still enjoys tangible support from a number of member national federations, including the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
FIFA apologized to the member associations for the errors that marred the management of the investment proposal, while six Arab football federations, including Qatar and Morocco, the partner in hosting the 2030 World Cup, announced their public support for Infantino last week. FIFA's leadership also reiterated its full support for him following a crisis meeting held in Morocco earlier this month.
A prominent source familiar with the file told Reuters that the three continental federations are leaning toward the option of no confidence, but at the same time they fear that the failure of any such move will strengthen Infantino’s position, demonstrate the amount of electoral support he still enjoys, and strengthen his position before the presidential elections scheduled for next year.
Infantino has been under increasing pressure since the collapse of his project to sell a minority stake in a new commercial entity affiliated with FIFA to private investors. This entity was scheduled to manage the commercial rights to the World Cup, the most prominent event in world football.
The crisis worsened this week with the departure of Kevin Lamour, FIFA's chief operating officer, who had criticized the investment proposal and considered that employees had been "misled" about what he described as a one-person project. FIFA did not provide official reasons for his departure. FIFA vice president Chandor Chani also withdrew his support for Infantino this week, describing Lamour's departure as "the straw that broke the camel's back."
But Infantino's opponents face major obstacles. So far, no candidate has announced his intention to compete before the deadline for submitting nominations on November 18, and Infantino still enjoys the support of a prominent segment of FIFA members.
The pressures are not limited to the parties that have the right to vote within FIFA. According to a source familiar with the discussions, the European Club Association, headed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, which represents more than 800 clubs, stands alongside the European Union (UEFA) and other parties seeking to bring about change within FIFA.
The association has warned FIFA that its member clubs may refuse to participate in the upcoming editions of the Club World Cup for men and women unless concerns related to governance and the nature of the relationship between the clubs and FIFA are addressed.
Although clubs do not have the right to vote in FIFA, they have great sporting and commercial influence.
