Pressure is mounting on FIFA President Gianni Infantino as senior football officials reportedly consider boycotting FIFA activities unless he steps down, following the collapse of the governing body’s controversial investment proposal.
According to senior UEFA sources, opposition to Infantino has intensified, with critics insisting there will be “no going back” while he remains in office after FIFA abandoned plans to sell minority stakes in some of its competitions to private investors.
The growing discontent has reportedly triggered discussions around a campaign of “non-cooperation,” with one of the first proposed actions being a boycott of FIFA meetings by senior football officials.
The crisis follows UEFA’s threat of legal action over the proposed investment deal, while the Football Association of Wales has officially withdrawn its support for Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA President. England’s Football Association is also expected to take a similar position.
Infantino is expected to seek re-election in March for what would be his final term in office. Under FIFA rules, he will require at least 106 votes from the organisation’s 211 member associations to retain the presidency.
BBC Sport reported that the Scottish Football Association has aligned itself with UEFA’s position, expressing a lack of confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
The FIFA president has faced increasing criticism from UEFA, Concacaf and other football governing bodies over the now-abandoned investment proposal, with additional member associations, including Serbia, Sweden and Finland, also withdrawing their support.
Despite the growing opposition, Infantino continues to enjoy backing from several member associations, including Morocco, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Sri Lanka.
The distribution of votes across FIFA’s six confederations remains a key factor ahead of the election. UEFA holds 55 votes, Africa has 54, Asia controls 46, Concacaf has 35, Oceania has 11, while CONMEBOL accounts for 10 votes.
Although the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has expressed solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf over concerns surrounding the investment proposal, football authorities in Africa, CONMEBOL and Oceania have yet to publicly criticise Infantino.
Attention is also shifting to the FIFA Council, where an emergency meeting could be called to discuss Infantino’s future if at least 19 of its 37 members formally request one. Under FIFA statutes, such a meeting must be held within two weeks of receiving the request.
With divisions widening across world football, the coming months are expected to present one of the biggest leadership challenges of Infantino’s tenure as he seeks to retain support ahead of the March presidential election.
