FIFA has confirmed that Gianni Infantino’s re-election bid will proceed in March, saying nothing has changed despite a mounting crisis over his scrapped proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.
‘The FIFA president announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027,’ read a FIFA statement. ‘Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.’
The $20 billion plan that triggered a global outcry
At the centre of the row is a proposal to sell a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), a vehicle that would have raised $20 billion in exchange for influence over future World Cups, including broadcasting and commercial deals linked to the tournament, ESPN reported.
The effort was being bankrolled by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, ESPN reported. The proposal drew immediate and widespread condemnation from across the game.
Following a virtual meeting of UEFA’s 55 member associations, over 50 associations took the floor and expressed unanimity in their anger at Infantino’s proposals, sources told ESPN. European football’s governing body subsequently agreed to boycott all future FIFA competitions until the sell-off plan is abandoned.
Three confederations accuse Infantino of ‘deception’
The backlash extended beyond Europe. Three of football’s six confederations, UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which governs football in the Caribbean, North and Central America, published an open letter saying Infantino had broken trust ‘through deception’ over the World Cup proposal, according to Sky News.
The joint letter marked a rare show of cross-confederation solidarity against a sitting FIFA president and underlined the scale of opposition Infantino faces heading into the re-election campaign.
Plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions have since been scrapped, but the damage to Infantino’s standing with major member associations remains evident. UEFA’s threatened boycott of all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, had set out the starkest possible terms for what non-compliance would have meant for the global game.
Infantino re-election bid presses ahead
Despite the pressure, FIFA moved to shut down any suggestion that the controversy had altered Infantino’s plans. The statement confirmed his candidacy and reiterated that his intention to seek another term, declared in April, stands.
Infantino’s re-election bid will be put to FIFA’s member associations in March. The three confederations that signed the open letter represent a broad bloc of the global membership, and their stated grievances are expected to define the early stages of the campaign.
