FIFA and Gianni Infantino under fire as Uefa loses confidence and calls for resignation mount
FIFA has gone on the offensive, attacking what it called a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino, after a wave of criticism from European football's governing bodies and a newspaper report alleging personal misconduct.
The flashpoint came on 8 August 2026, when FIFA released a statement dismissing a Daily Telegraph report. The newspaper claimed that an alleged lover of Infantino received a severance payment from Uefa after an affair took place while he served as Uefa's general secretary — the top administrative role at European football's governing body, below the president. FIFA called the allegations "unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims" and said "speculation and insinuation should not be presented as fact" (BBC Sport).
The personal allegations are only part of the pressure on Infantino. He has faced growing opposition from Uefa and European football associations over a proposed venture called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have created a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights, with 21% sold to a private investment firm. The plan was aborted, but the political damage stuck. Uefa has publicly stated it has lost confidence in Infantino, and its threat to boycott FIFA events remains on the table (BBC Sport).
Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), has called on Infantino to resign. Two senior FIFA officials criticised the World Cup sell-off plan behind FFE, and one resigned as a presidential adviser (AP News). A possible vote on Infantino's future is scheduled for 18 March in Morocco (Reuters).
Yet the opposition is not universal — and it is largely European. FIFA pointed out that Infantino was "democratically elected by FIFA's Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate," and said those without the support of member associations "should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA's established democratic processes" (BBC Sport).
The support is real. The 54 nations of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) back him unanimously. The Mexican Football Federation broke ranks with its regional governing body, Concacaf, to voice support, echoing the South American confederation, Conmebol, in rejecting any attempt to remove Infantino without a vote involving all 211 FIFA member countries (BBC Sport).
Infantino himself shows no sign of stepping aside. At the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver in April 2026, he confirmed he will be a candidate in the FIFA presidential election next year (FIFA).
What this means for the ordinary fan is a power struggle behind the curtain of the game they watch every weekend. FIFA runs the World Cup and sets the global rules; Uefa runs the European game, including the Champions League. When the two bodies fall out, the friction touches everything from tournament calendars to broadcast deals. Infantino has also overseen a pledge to expand football development funding to over USD 10 billion, subject to approval by member associations (FIFA) — a figure he can point to as evidence of progress under his leadership.
The next test will be Morocco in March. Until then, the war of words between Zurich and Nyon — FIFA's base and Uefa's headquarters — is only getting louder.
