Gianni Infantino’s FIFA presidency at risk as UEFA executives reportedly seek his exit and push for rotating presidents
Gianni Infantino's continuity as FIFA president is highly in doubt as UEFA executives are reportedly looking for his exit and establish a system of rotating presidents in FIFA. Gianni Infantino’s reign as FIFA president is facing serious threat following the fallout from a failed plan to sell World Cup rights to private equity, a move that triggered intense pushback. Now, UEFA executives are reportedly actively plotting his exit while floating a radical proposal to replace the office with a rotating presidency. As first reported by talkSPORT‘s Ben Jacobs, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and European Club Association Chairman (and Paris Saint-Germain President) Nasser Al Khelaifi held a high-stakes meeting in Salzburg, Austria, on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup to address the mounting crisis. With the event taking place in the city, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe also joined the discussions. European leadership is intent on forcing Infantino to resign or withdraw his candidacy ahead of FIFA’s upcoming election in March following the controversy surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative. If Infantino is ousted, the immediate focus will shift to who UEFA endorses as the next FIFA candidate. Potential frontrunners include CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. While Al Khelaifi’s name was also raised, he publicly stated after the match that he remains “very happy” in his current role at PSG. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin speak to each other. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) A UEFA boycott may no longer be necessary When Infantino initially unveiled the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, UEFA strongly opposed the measure, threatening a complete boycott of all upcoming FIFA tournaments. That stance was set to take effect as early as the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland (Sept. 5-27), but such drastic action may no longer be required to force Infantino out. According to talkSPORT, Ceferin is prepared to spearhead a vote of no confidence if Infantino refuses to go quietly. That motion could swiftly remove the sitting FIFA president, triggering an expedited electoral process. To introduce a vote of no confidence, 20% of FIFA’s member associations (43 votes) must officially request the motion, a threshold UEFA could easily trigger on its own with its 55 member nations. Once an Extraordinary Congress is convened, Article 30(9) dictates that any vote not explicitly defined in the statutes (which includes a no-confidence vote) requires a simple majority. With 211 total member associations, just 106 votes would formally remove Infantino from office. UEFA Floats a Rotating FIFA Presidency Beyond removing Infantino, European officials are advocating for a fundamental structural overhaul of FIFA’s executive office. As reported by Jacobs, the proposal favors a decentralized governance structure that replaces the traditional, single-leader presidency with a rotating office. The system could also feature a designated chairman alongside a committee of vice-chairs to provide stronger checks and balances, creating an administrative model similar to a modern civil service framework.
