Fifa president Gianni Infantino responded with the quip "I'll see you at the hairdressers" when challenged by a journalist over whether he had betrayed football with his abandoned World Cup sell-off scheme.
The head of football's governing body was confronted outside a hotel in the Dominican Republic by Sky News US correspondent James Matthews.
The journalist asked Infantino why he had refused to step down, despite calls across the sport.
Three continental confederations accused the president of "deception" last week over efforts to introduce private investment into Fifa tournaments.
Uefa, the Union of European Football **** ociations, has also threatened a boycott of Fifa competitions, having "lost confidence" in Infantino's leadership.

#infantino #president #gianni #republic

Fans' groups worldwide have launched a petition calling for the resignation of Gianni Infantino as FIFA president and for wholesale reform of the organization.
Infantino is under pressure after being forced to abandon plans to seek private investment in a company to run FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups.
Three continental confederations accused Infantino of "deception" in an open letter last week over the manner in which the plan was devised and presented, with European football's governing body UEFA still intent on boycotting FIFA events having "lost confidence" in Infantino's leadership.
The Swiss does still retain support, notably in Africa and South America, but now fans' organizations have called on him to step down, with a petition being launched on the change.org website.
"The shameful attempt by one individual – the FIFA president himself – to sell off the World Cup to private investors exposed a betrayal football will never forget," a statement on behalf of the fan organizations said.

#fifa #World #launched

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino's World Cup sell-off plan, saying the organisation has "pressed the self-destruct **** on" by delivering "a self-inflicted wound".
Infantino is under increasing pressure over his attempt, later abandoned, to create a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including the World Cups, with 21% to be sold off to a private investment company.
Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) was aborted after widespread criticism from several confederations, led by Uefa, which has threatened a boycott of all Fifa competitions.
Masters backed the English Football **** ociation's withdrawal of support for Infantino - and called for a new candidate for the presidency who could unify football.
"This is a problem of Fifa's making," Masters told BBC Sport.

#infantino #Football

The Scottish Football ******* ociation has publicly withdrawn its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
It comes after Infantino shelved controversial plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions last month.
Infantino has lost the support of three confederations – Uefa, Comnebol and the Asian Football Confederation – but some nations have also split from their region.
(PA)
The SFA's statement on Infantino comes after English FA, Welsh FA and Football ******* ociation of Ireland backed Uefa's stance and withdrew support.

#fifa #comes

The Scottish Football ****** ociation has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino and will not be voting for his re-election as president of Fifa, chief executive Ian Maxwell has told BBC Sport.
Infantino is under increasing pressure over his attempt, later abandoned, to create a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including the World Cups, with 21% to be sold off to a private investment company.
Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) was aborted after widespread criticism from several confederations, led by Uefa, which has threatened a boycott of all Fifa competitions.
"The position of the SFA has been clear since the 55 Uefa ****** ociations met," said Maxwell, speaking as he announced Belgian Sebastian Pocognoli as the new Scotland head coach.
"We have aligned ourselves with the Uefa position and 55 nations are stronger than one voice.

#position

Less than a month after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino's hold on the position is in a perilous position.
Following the news of Infantino supporting a 64-team World Cup proposal and the scheme to sell stakes in the men's and women's World Cups through private investment, powerful figures and confederations in the sport have turned their backs on the president and his days in power seem to be coming to an end.
Could Infantino be ousted before the March 2027 FIFA presidential election? It's possible, but would require 43 member ****** ociations to trigger a no confidence vote against him. Any opposition would require an alternative choice to take over.
Infantino had previously believed he had the backing of enough confederations to be re-elected for a final four year term. Now many of them have join the calls for an exhaustive review and overhaul of FIFA's processes. No candidate has stepped forward yet to challenge him for the presidency and there is a Nov. 18 deadline for interested parties to announce they are running.
Should he stand for re-election, Infantino would need the support of 106 out of FIFA's 211 member ****** ociations to win.

#infantino #World #confederations #associations

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's position remains precarious, despite receiving support from his close friend US President Donald Trump, after three confederations tore into him in a joint letter.
It seems nothing the 56-year-old Swiss has done from shelving his much-criticised plan to raise private investment to run the commercial side of the World Cup to apologising for the manner in which it was launched is enough to ***** uage his critics.
In effect they have made plain the problem is him and his style of leadership.
He previously looked a shoo-in to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term in Rabat next March, but his opponents are circling sensing he has been fatally weakened by the constant onslaught.
AFP Sport highlights the pick of the reaction since Infantino's humiliating climbdown 10 days ago:

#sport

German Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has become the first member of the federal government to call for the resignation of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
"Infantino has seriously damaged world football with his planned sell-off of the World Cup," he told dpa on Saturday.
"He has lost the trust of the European football community and should not stand for re-election next year."
Infantino has been under fire since he unveiled plans worth billions to sell World Cup rights to private investors last week. Following major protests, including UEFA's threat of a World Cup boycott, the FIFA boss withdrew the proposal.
Other FAs and confederations also rejected the plans and Jordan FA president, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, said on Tuesday that they had been blackmailed when being told by FIFA they would only receive money owed to them if he voted for Intantino at next year's election.

#told #next

Through its social media channels, the AFA issued a statement backing Gianni Infantino's leadership during his 10 years at the helm of FIFA.
"On behalf of the Argentine Football ***** ociation (AFA), and its Executive Committee, we address you, dear President, and through you the FIFA leadership, to express our support for the work carried out over the past 10 years, whose main pillars have been the development of football worldwide and institutional strength based on a clear, stable, and transparent governance model," they said.
At the same time, the AFA acknowledged the decision to withdraw "a project that generated more uncertainty than certainty," referring to FIFA Forward Enterprise, and highlighted the "acceptance of the mistakes made in that process."
"Prioritizing governance standards is a fundamental pillar for strengthening good relations between FIFA, its member ***** ociations, and the confederations."
The AFA also highlighted Infantino's leadership and transparent governance model for a profound transformation of FIFA "that opened the doors of the organization to all member ***** ociations and confederations, so that through frank and direct dialogue, all of us together can continue promoting football at all its levels and disciplines."

#fifa #Football #leadership

Confidence in Fifa is being restored. How do we know? Because Fifa has told us. And Fifa's integrity is such that attacks on it cannot be tolerated... Fifa, in between plotting to sell off the World Cup, has said it wasn't doing that. Not that many people in Fifa knew for sure, as Fifa didn't bother consulting them.
But then, as Fifa said a statement about a "constructive and positive meeting held in Rabat, Morocco", its only official elected by the 211 member ******* ociations is the president. Although, admittedly, many of those ******* ociations are calling for Gianni Infantino to go and plenty of others came out in opposition to what – according to the governing body, anyway – was called the "Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal".
And now that is off the table, again in Fifa's words, a statement that tested the boundaries of Orwellian doublespeak, the only remaining issues, in Fifa's world, are the horrible "attacks" on it.
Gianni Infantino showed minimal remorse in his letter after the Fifa crisis meeting (Getty Images)
A global sport was plunged into crisis by one man, Infantino, who either had an idea he forgot to fully communicate with virtually everyone – Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, its chief of global football development ******* ne Wenger, the various confederations, clubs, national ******* ociations, players, fans... – or tried to stage a coup against the sport as a whole.

#World #statement #meeting

FIFA's leadership has reaffirmed its "full support" for President Gianni Infantino, days after he was forced to abandon a plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights that triggered a rare revolt within world football's governing body.
The declaration followed a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, called after mounting pressure from UEFA and other confederations threatened to derail Infantino's expected re-election to a fourth term at FIFA's Congress in March.
In a statement, FIFA said Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom and members of its management board reiterated their backing for Infantino as "the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member ******* ociations".
Infantino reciprocated support for Grafstrom and FIFA's administration.
Football fans photograph a FIFA logo outside FIFA global headquarters on July 30, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland [Robert Hradil/Getty]

#wednesday

Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein has launched a scathing attack on FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of blackmail.
The extraordinary allegations come as pressure mounts on Infantino following the collapse of his controversial plan to sell a £3.1 billion stake in FIFA's competitions.
The proposal was abandoned after fierce opposition from within the organisation, triggering fresh questions over his future.
UEFA and CONCACAF have already called for Infantino to step aside, with Europe's governing body publicly expressing no confidence in the Swiss official.
Jordan has now become the first Asian football ******* ociation to openly join the revolt, taking the number of nations opposing Infantino to 91 if all UEFA and CONCACAF members align with their confederations.

#prince

Former ***** nal manager ***** ne Wenger said the decision to scrap FIFA president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup was "absolutely necessary and beyond question".
Wenger works as FIFA's chief of global football development -- he was appointed in 2019 -- and the Frenchman became the latest high-profile figure to criticise Infantino's scheme on Tuesday.
Infantino wanted to sell a 20 per cent stake in the World Cup to private equity investors through his FIFA Forward Enterprise.
The plan sparked a barrage of criticism for Infantino and has been rejected by three continental confederations, forcing the Italian to ditch his divisive idea.
UEFA, European football's governing body, threatened to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if Infantino pressed ahead with his plan.

#fifa #infantino #plan #gianni

Arsene Wenger, Fifa's chief of global football development, has publicly endorsed Gianni Infantino's decision to abandon a controversial plan to sell stakes in a World Cup company to private investors, describing the move as "absolutely necessary and beyond question."
The former ****** nal manager's statement on Tuesday follows a week of intense scrutiny over Infantino's proposal to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) and offload a 20 per cent share to private equity firms.
The initiative faced significant opposition, with three continental confederations rejecting it outright, and Uefa going as far as threatening to boycott the World Cup and other Fifa competitions if the plan proceeded.
Wenger, who clarified he had no intention of following senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro in resigning, distanced himself from the FFE scheme. He ****** erted his belief in Fifa's role in serving the game with "commitment, transparency, and integrity."
Wenger has backed the decision to scrap the World Cup sell-off plan (Reuters)

#wenger #plan #private

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is in a precarious position before the 2027 FIFA Elections, as member nations have started withdrawing support.
Infantino's bold move to privatise the World Cup by selling a 20% stake in the tournament's logistics was widely condemned as a move to sell the sport and weaken its integrity.
After the continental confederations rallied to stop Infantino's FFE plan before he could formally introduce it, specific member states are now targeting new leadership at the helm.
After UEFA's leading role in stopping the FFE plan and open condemnation of Infantino, the Welsh FA has released a statement to Sky News, attacking Infantino and withdrawing support from his 2027 FIFA Presidency re-election plans.
"The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications, and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football. Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept."

#fifa #position #support #leadership

Two weeks after what was considered a successful World Cup, FIFA is drawing the wrong kind of headlines.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino's proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup through private investment is dead. In a statement late Friday, Infantino said he "listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place."
"Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support," Infantino added in his statement.
The backlash to Infantino's idea started immediately with confederations, including UEFA, which governs European soccer, criticizing the plan and threatening to boycott future competitions.
Here's a rundown of Infantino's original idea, how it all fell apart, and what might come next.

#statement

Spain's LaLiga president Javier Tebas has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to quit over the World Cup investor affair and other leadership issues.
"INFANTINO MUST NOT CONTINUE," he said on X late Saturday. "That FIFA has withdrawn its proposal to privatise its competitions is good news. But it would be a grave mistake to think that this has resolved the governance problem.
"The confederations, ******* ociations, leagues, players... should not settle for this withdrawal and consider the matter closed. The issue is much deeper," he said.
Infantino said early Saturday that the plan allowing private investors to buy stakes in a new company overseeing FIFA's commercial rights and tournament operations was stopped.
The decision came after a fierce backlash culminating in UEFA's threat to boycott FIFA events if the scheme became reality, and rejections from other confederations meant that Infantino had no majority for the plans.

#president

Revelations keep coming!
As the hours go by, more and more is being revealed about the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, which has now been scrapped by FIFA.
According to revelations from The Times, Gianni Infantino could have earned an annual salary of $30 million, or around €26 million, if he had taken charge of FIFA's future commercial company.
As a reminder, FIFA published its financial report in June 2026, which showed that Gianni Infantino received $4.6 million during 2025. The FIFA president would therefore have benefited from a 525% salary increase if the FFE project had been approved.
A colossal sum that has reignited criticism surrounding a project that was ultimately abandoned under pressure from several major confederations, including UEFA, Concacaf, and the AFC.

#according

A day after beleaguered FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that the organization was scrapping a heavily scrutinized plan to sell minority stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, UEFA released a scathing statement that depicted its lost confidence in Infantino.
"When Gianni Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of FIFA's Member ***** ociations to elect him as their president in 2016," the statement reads, "he said, 'Of course we have to be transparent. I have been this in the last 15 years of my life in UEFA. You will have to play a part every day in the life of FIFA,' before telling the ***** embled stakeholders, 'The money of FIFA is your money. It's not the money of the FIFA president. It's your money. You are the national ***** ociations and the money of FIFA has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.'
"On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent."
The controversial proposal was unanimously rejected by UEFA's national ***** ociations. Fierce opposition came in spades throughout the soccer sphere, with all six of the continental confederations weighing in, some more vehemently than others.
The ubiquitous disgust culminated in FIFA abandoning its scheme.

#fifa

FIFA on Friday said it would not move forward with a plan to create a $20 billion commercial arm of soccer's world governing body by selling stakes in the World Cup and other events to private investors.
The proposal had been met by a wave of criticism by several soccer confederations from the time it was proposed just days ago, with major groups repping Europe, Asia and the Americas condemning the plan that would have radically restructured the global non-profit organization.
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#Europe #asia #americas #deadline

Less than two weeks after what was considered a successful World Cup, FIFA is drawing the wrong kind of headlines.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has brought forth a proposal to all of its 211 member ****** ociations to raise $20 billion through private investment by selling stakes in the top FIFA-run tournaments. That would include both the men's and women's World Cups.
The backlash has already started from confederations, including UEFA, which governs European soccer. But while calls to reject the plan have been loud, all Infantino needs is 106 of 211 votes to move forward. The cash infusion for bigger member ****** ociations, like Spain, France and England, among many others, is nothing compare to what the money could do for smaller countries looking to further develop the programs in their respective countries.
Here's a rundown of what's at stake and what could happen next.
Infantino, who has been in charge of FIFA since 2016, wants to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, including Joshua Kushner, the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The transaction would be done through Thrive Capital, a venture-capital firm.

#fifa #infantino #capital

Football chiefs will consider whether to push for a vote of no confidence on Gianni Infantino following another another day of drastic developments surrounding the embattled Fifa president.
But Infantino's game-breaking Fifa Forward Enterprise plan is described as "not dead yet", with the Swiss official still pushing on with his controversial plans after the global governing body issued another round of "clarifications" overnight.
Sources have even spoken of Infantino continuing on in the office as normal. Meanwhile, many outside his decreasingly small circle are highly curious as to what he is "feeling" right now, as a previously invulnerable position has been left so exposed in a matter of days.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and US president Donald Trump with the World Cup trophy (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)
Above anything, it's remarkable to think a Fifa president can continue when the most powerful continent have boycotted the World Cup, in Uefa, and two other confederations have at least prepared the ground to follow.

#president #enterprise #swiss #sources

FIFA is seeking an independent agency to **** s the expansion of the men's World Cup to 64 teams, according to documents seen by the Press **** ociation.
FIFA's president, Gianni Infantino, is under increasing pressure amid mounting opposition to plans to seek private investment in a company which would run the World Cup, with three confederations having rejected it and his senior adviser having quit over it.
One of the key concerns around the plan was the potential for private investors to seek ever bigger, ever more frequent tournaments to maximise returns.
Now PA has seen documents in which FIFA expresses its wish to appoint an independent agency to **** s an expansion to 64 teams from the current 48, starting with the next finals in 2030.
The timeline on the documents said FIFA would receive agency proposals by August 7, with a FIFA decision on August 14. Delivery of **** ysis by the agency is then scheduled for September 11.

#fifa

Will Gianni Infantino resign as FIFA president? Backlash to FFE plan intensifies with calls to step down originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The walls may be closing in on Gianni Infantino at the helm of FIFA.
In the aftermath of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many around the world had taken issue with the atmosphere of aggressive capitalism created by Infantino at the competition, but within FIFA, it appeared many were thrilled with the overwhelming financial success of the tournament.
Then, the temperature of global football changed instantly as Infantino announced his FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan just days after the conclusion of the World Cup. This plan, which would bring multiple outside investors into peripheral World Cup ownership — not directly, but indirectly — has drawn massive backlash around the world from those within the game and those outside it.
European federation UEFA were the first to aggressively reject the proposal, stating that they would boycott all FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cup, if the plan moves forward. CONCACAF was next to issue a statement of its own, stopping short of a boycott but also rejecting the proposal. That puts 91 FIFA member ***** ociations theoretically opposed to the plan already, with other confederations yet to weigh in.

#sporting #appeared

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing FIFA's proposed sale of stakes in its competitions to private investors, piling further pressure on plans backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
In a statement released on Friday, the AFC said it "stands in solidarity" with UEFA and CONCACAF, warning the proposals could not "realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward".
"The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world's leading football nations," the AFC said. "Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered."
The latest intervention leaves FIFA facing opposition from three of its six continental confederations, making it increasingly unlikely the proposal would secure the support needed if put to a vote.
The AFC also criticised FIFA's handling of the process, saying member **** ociations had not been properly consulted before the governing body set the "direction of travel" on such a significant initiative.

#uefa #unity #proposal #asian

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) says it "stands in solidarity" with Uefa and Concacaf in opposition to Fifa's proposal to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.
In a statement published on Friday, the AFC said Fifa president Gianni Infantino's plan could not "realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward".
"The Fifa World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world's leading football nations," it said.
"Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered."
The AFC's opposition means Infantino's plans are unlikely to approved by members if put to a vote.

#confederation #uefa

UPDATED with the latest: The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean ******* ociation Football (Concacaf), one of FIFA's six continental confederations that represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, today flatly rejected a controversial plan to sell a 20% stake in the tournament to private investors.
Concacaf's 41 member ******* ociations issued a statement expressing "deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies." Further, the statement questioned "the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history."
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#America

European governing body UEFA will hold an emergency meeting later on Thursday to deal with plans from FIFA to bring private investors into its events led by the World Cup.
Sources told dpa that the meeting also reported by other media is scheduled for the afternoon.
UEFA has condemned the plans which FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended late Wednesday and which have drawn mixed reactions from other confederations.
Germany's Bild paper said leading officials including German Football Federation (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf discussed the FIFA plans via a UEFA video call on Wednesday.
"We must not lose the fans' support, but we are well on the way to squandering that support. I consider this to be extremely problematic and unacceptable," Neuendorf told broadcasters ZDF.

#plans

European governing body UEFA will hold an emergency meeting later on Thursday to deal with plans from FIFA to bring private investors into its events led by the World Cup.
Sources told dpa that the meeting also reported by other media is scheduled for the afternoon.
UEFA has condemned the plans which FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended late Wednesday and which have drawn mixed reactions from other confederations.
Germany's Bild paper said leading officials including German Football Federation (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf discussed the FIFA plans via a UEFA video call on Wednesday.
"We must not lose the fans' support, but we are well on the way to squandering that support. I consider this to be extremely problematic and unacceptable," Neuendorf told broadcasters ZDF.

#plans #support

FIFA President Gianni ⁠Infantino has called ⁠the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup a proposal but "not an obligation", after the idea ⁠provoked a furious response from a number of football authorities.
FIFA announced plans this week to create a $20bn subsidiary to run ⁠the World Cup and its other events, and said it will offer stakes of up to 20% in it to external investors.
The proposal drew strong criticism from the sport's regional confederations, ‌which said they were blindsided by the plan by world football's governing body to bring private investors into the sport.
But Infantino said strengthening the commercial side of the game is the natural next step in this evolution.
"It's part of a democratic process – a consultation process – and, above ⁠all, it is an opportunity but not ⁠an obligation, and, as I said, it kicks off the consultation process," Infantino said in a video provided by FIFA on Wednesday.

#process #plan #investors