TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Now that Gianni Infantino has shelved his plans to create a commercial subsidiary for the World Cup and other FIFA events, UEFA's boycott of FIFA events is over and matches now appear less in danger. Nevertheless, the European governing body says it is now "rebuilding trust" with FIFA — and the story continues to develop rapidly.
As a result, increased focus will be put on women's football when the U20 World Cup starts on September 5 in Poland, and when the U17 World Cup starts in October in Morocco. There are also matches around the world that will decide the qualifiers for next summer's World Cup in Brazil in the same month. Despite there being scant mention in FIFA's subsidiary proposal of the women's game, it will be the first test of life after it.
While a boycott is now off the table, the games will be harder to navigate given the current chaos around the sport's governing body. This is far from ideal for the teams competing, particularly given the tournament's importance.
Football associations have pull support for Infantino
With UEFA, Europe's football governors, forming a united front, it is assumed that most, if not all, football associations on the continent will withdraw their support in the coming days.
The first nation to publicly drop their support for Gianni Infantino was Finland, last week. Wales followed on Monday, saying in a statement that "failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept," before England followed suit later in the day.
Germany's FA (DFB) is the biggest sports association in the world, but has yet to officially withdraw its support. It is expected to though, especially when considering the recent words of DFB Director Andreas Rettig. The 63-year-old recently told Stern magazine in an interview that Infantino's recent actions have led to "an irreparable loss of trust" and that football needs to "hit the reset button. We need a different culture. Because trust is the hardest currency."
"From my perspective, Mr. Infantino has invested a great deal of time, money, and energy into maintaining his power structure. Clearly, many decisions served primarily to consolidate his own position," added Retting.
FIFA presidential election next year
The election for Infantino's post is on March 18, 2027, at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
He will run for re-election as president for a final four-year term, looking to gain 106 votes from FIFA's 211 member states (UEFA has 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11 and Conmebol 10) to win. Each state gets a vote and voting is done in a secret ballot, which takes time.
However, it seems as though Infantino is increasingly under pressure, and if 19 of the 37 members of the FIFA Council, the organization's main executive body, call for an emergency meeting in the next two weeks, he could be asked to resign. Several members of the council, including Germany's Bernd Neuendorf, have publicly crititcized Infantino for failing to consult them about his latest plans.
There might also be an Extraordinary FIFA Congress if 43 associations formally request it. Given that UEFA has 55 members, it holds the power to request it at any time. For Infantino to be voted out through a vote of no confidence, 106 votes would be required.
Before his venture to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors ended in chaos after widespread condemnation, Infantino looked almost certain to win re-election. The reported revenues from this summer's World Cup were $15 billion (€13 billion), a significantly higher number than expected and one that would have strengthened his position in the organization, given that much of it would be redistibuted among the member organizations.
No clear candidates to succeed Infantino
There has been a lot of speculation about who might succeed Infantino since his position has come under threat in the last week, but it is too soon to really know the legitimacy of any claims. In any case, any potential challengers must declare their candidacy by 18 November.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Paris Saint-Germain chairman, had been touted as a potential candidate given his increasingly influential position in world football. However, the Qatari recently ruled himself out, with a representative for the executive reportedly saying via Politico: "Nasser has absolutely no ambition, no intention, no interest in the Fifa role." Qatar is one of the few federations to have publicly backed Infantino in recent days.
The most obvious candidate is the current UEFA President, Alexander Ceferin, but the Slovenian lawyer is reportedly also not interested in the role.
Concacaf (the confederation of North and Central America and the Caribbean) president Victor Montagliani is one of the few candidates who has expressed interest in the role in the past, but it is unclear whether the man who speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish is ready to challenge now.
Outspoken Norwegian FA President Lise Klaveness has supporters, and, after an initial failure, reached the UEFA Executive Committee in 2025. But the outspoken style that has won her admirers is thought not to have the broad appeal needed in a FIFA candidate. Some also believe her gender may count against her.
Finally, AFC chief, Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who lost out to Infantino in the 2016 election, could be a contender if the AFC breaks ranks from FIFA in the way UEFA have. A member of Bahrain’s ruling House of Khalifa, the 60-year-old called Infantino's actions "totally unacceptable" and may be tempted to go against him again, though human rights questions contributed to his previous defeat.
Read: FIFA Chief Infantino Abandons World Cup Sell-Off Plans
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