UEFA-led group discusses rival tournaments in challenge to FIFA
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Rival competitions are the latest challenge to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his failed plan to spin off the world football governing body’s commercial operations in a deal involving JPMorgan Chase & Co.
PHOTO: AFP
Football organisations led by the European governing body UEFA have begun discussions over holding rival international tournaments to FIFA, according to people familiar with the matter.
The conversations between the governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) are at a preliminary stage, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information.
Rival competitions are the latest challenge to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his failed plan to spin off the world football governing body’s commercial operations in a deal involving JPMorgan Chase & Co. They would threaten FIFA’s lucrative tournament circuit, which includes the World Cup that brought in over US$9 billion (S$11.5 billion) during the 2026 edition, a record.
In an open letter on Aug 10, UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC demanded an independent review of Infantino’s World Cup proposal, saying that “when trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned”.
UEFA, whose members are home to the richest leagues in the world, has led the push to oust Infantino.
Even after Infantino shelved the plan to further monetise the game, the European body is still considering a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments if he remains president.
Spokespeople for UEFA and CONCACAF declined to comment. A spokesperson for the AFC could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
The first major tournament that would be impacted by any boycott would be the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, although there are youth tournaments set to start in the coming months.
Infantino has faced open revolt in the football world since he proposed and then abandoned a plan to carve off the commercial rights to the World Cup and sell 20 per cent of them to private investors to raise about US$4.2 billion.
Sources close to proceedings said the confederations viewed the open letter as an opportunity for Infantino, who is seeking re-election in March 2027, to quit with his dignity intact.
“Leadership in football is not a possession,” they said in the Aug 10 statement. “It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.”
The three confederations also criticised a FIFA emergency meeting in Morocco last week, saying there was only one elected official present.
On Aug 7, Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness, seen by some as a potential candidate to replace Infantino, called on the 56-year-old to step down from the presidency immediately. She has long been an outspoken critic of Infantino.
After quelling in-house dissent at the emergency meeting on Aug 5, FIFA apologised to the 211 federations and Infantino rallied his support among the six confederations that make up the world governing body.
Africa’s confederation CAF released a statement on behalf of its 54 members backing Infantino on Aug 6, with CONCACAF member Mexico following suit, along with South American countries Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia.
On Aug 7, as Infantino attended the inauguration of Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella in Cali, FIFA released a blistering attack on his critics.
It warned against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine Infantino, saying attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body’s statutes and democratic procedures.
FIFA also echoed the statements of several of the bodies that supported Infantino, as well as one from South American confederation CONMEBOL.
FIFA’s statement came after reports by The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino’s time as the European governing body’s general secretary, allegations he has denied and that FIFA has rejected as unfounded.
Almost 70 of FIFA’s 211 member associations have said publicly they will vote for Infantino, with around a dozen either withdrawing previously promised support or saying they will not vote for him.
Infantino would need a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting or a simple majority in subsequent rounds to extend his presidency until 2031. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
