Infantino under fire: What happens next?

According to a BBC Sport report, Gianni Infantino's grip on the FIFA presidency has been shaken after his controversial attempt to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment firms without the apparent knowledge of football's governing bodies. The move has sparked fierce opposition from UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with UEFA even threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. While Infantino has since backtracked, confidence in his leadership has taken a major hit.

The road to Infantino's exit 

• Resignation: The quickest route would be for Infantino to resign, as his predecessor Sepp Blatter did in 2015. However, he is expected to try to remain in office until the FIFA presidential election in March, where he is seeking a fourth and final term.

  Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

   
• Emergency FIFA Council meeting: An emergency meeting can be called if 19 of the 37 FIFA Council members request one. UEFA has nine members, the AFC seven, Concacaf five, Africa six, Conmebol five, Oceania three, while Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom complete the council. Even if the meeting is triggered within two weeks, the council can only urge Infantino to resign; he is not obliged to do so. 

• Extraordinary FIFA Congress: If 43 of FIFA's 211 member associations formally request it, an extraordinary congress must be convened. UEFA alone has 55 member associations, meaning it can trigger the process whenever it chooses. A vote of no confidence would require 106 votes to succeed, although securing that support would be far from straightforward. While 136 associations opposed Infantino's investment proposal, that does not necessarily mean they would vote to remove him. Qatar has already publicly backed Infantino, while Mexico has distanced itself from Concacaf's joint criticism. 

   

• March election: If Infantino remains in office, challengers must declare their candidacy by 18 November ahead of the presidential election in March. He was re-elected unopposed in both 2019 and 2023.

Who could take over?

• Victor Montagliani (Concacaf president): Widely viewed as the leading contender. Like Infantino, he was elected in 2016 on a platform of governance reform. The former Canada Soccer president played a key role in organising the 2026 World Cup and speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish. His position outside Europe could help him unite support across different confederations. 

• Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (AFC president): Another strong candidate after leading the AFC's criticism of Infantino's investment plan. First elected in 2013 and re-elected unopposed for a fourth term through 2027, he commands the backing of the AFC's 46 member associations.

   
• Nasser Al-Khelaifi (Paris Saint-Germain president): Considered a less likely option. The Qatari helped reunite European football following the failed European Super League project and would theoretically be a formidable challenger. However, he is not believed to want the role, while Qatar has publicly backed Infantino, potentially complicating any bid.

How vulnerable is Infantino?

• Far from certain: Despite the mounting pressure, Infantino's removal is by no means guaranteed. In most organisations, the fallout from the controversy would likely have ended a leader's tenure, but football politics often work differently. 

   

• Previous precedent: Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president just a week before resigning in 2015 amid a corruption scandal, showing that strong backing can quickly unravel — but only under sustained pressure.

   

• Repairing alliances: Infantino has pledged to "bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks" and appears to be trying to rebuild support. After Qatar publicly backed him, 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco also voiced its support, while Egypt praised him for abandoning the investment plan. 

   

• Race to 106 votes: Any vote of no confidence is at least three months away, giving Infantino time to win back member associations. The longer the process takes, the greater his chance of convincing former allies that the failed investment proposal was an isolated mistake rather than a broader leadership issue. 

   

• UEFA's challenge: UEFA's priority will be to keep pressure on FIFA and persuade enough federations that Infantino's position has become untenable, potentially forcing him to resign before any formal vote. 

   

• Sponsors could prove decisive: The biggest threat to Infantino may come if major commercial partners begin distancing themselves from FIFA. During the 2015 corruption scandal, companies including Sony, Emirates, Castrol, Continental Tyres and Johnson & Johnson ended lucrative sponsorship deals. There is no indication of a similar exodus yet, but it remains a scenario that could significantly weaken his position.