Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president is under more scrutiny than at any point since he took charge in 2016, with confederations and member associations now publicly splitting over whether he should continue into a new term.
The unrest stems from the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, a proposal that would have seen private investors buy a stake in FIFA’s commercial operations – including World Cup broadcast, sponsorship and licensing revenue – in a deal reportedly valuing the entity at around $20 billion.
The backlash was immediate and severe. UEFA’s 55 member associations voted to boycott FIFA competitions if the plan went ahead, while CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also voiced their opposition.
Facing the prospect of Europe’s biggest footballing nations walking away, Infantino confirmed the plan would not proceed, but his U-turn has done nothing to quiet the calls for his resignation. Indeed, UEFA released an official statement over the weekend saying they have ‘lost confidence’ in his leadership.
CAF’s 54 Nations Standing Behind Infantino
Despite the growing unrest elsewhere, Infantino retains strong backing from the Confederation of African Football, whose 54 member associations span six regional zones.
|
Zone |
CAF Member Associations |
|---|---|
|
UNAF (5) |
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia |
|
WAFU A (9) |
Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone |
|
WAFU B (7) |
Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo |
|
UNIFFAC (8) |
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Congo DR, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe |
|
CECAFA (11) |
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
|
COSAFA (14) |
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
CAF’s continued support gives Infantino a significant bloc heading into March’s presidential election, with 106 votes needed for a majority out of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Qatar and Sri Lanka have also both publicly backed the president, and while the AFC opposed the FFE plan, opposition within that confederation is far from unanimous.
Wales become first nation to officially withdraw support for Infantino
Wales became the first nation to formally withdraw its backing for the FIFA boss, with the Football Association of Wales writing to Infantino to cite “failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement.” The FAW said the failings meant Infantino had “lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football.”
England are set to follow suit, with the FA expected to write to Infantino withdrawing the support it gave prior to the World Cup, ahead of the presidential vote in March. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin is understood to be pushing for a blanket removal of support from the confederation’s members.
It’s also worth noting that not every nation had thrown its weight behind Infantino in the first place. It was reported during the World Cup that more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 members had sent letters of support for his re-election, but former Premier League forward Jan Aage Fjørtoft claimed that Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany were among the small number who never signed on.
There are also signs of cracks forming closer to home for Infantino in CONCACAF, with some members of that confederation reportedly set to withdraw their support too, in a move said to be driven by potential presidential rival Victor Montagliani.
With UEFA’s 55 votes alone nowhere near enough to remove him without support from other confederations, Infantino’s fate may ultimately come down to whether CAF’s bloc, and nations like Qatar and Sri Lanka, are enough to see him through to March.
