‘It’s time for a comprehensive review of this leadership’: CONCACAF piles pressure on FIFA’s Gianni Infantino
CONCACAF issued a strong statement against Gianni Infantino after announcing it will not move forward with the FIFA Forward Enterprise project. CONCACAF joined UEFA in taking direct aim at Gianni Infantino after FIFA withdrew its plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. In an official statement released Saturday, CONCACAF welcomed the retreat but went further than simply celebrating the outcome, framing the episode as proof that Infantino’s leadership needs to be put under the microscope. “This recent unilateral and flagrant act of poor governance and leadership reflects a pattern of similar errors and conduct. It’s time for a comprehensive review of this leadership,” the confederation said. The statement didn’t shy away from assigning blame either. CONCACAF argued that a proposal of this scale doesn’t get as far as it did by accident, calling it “the reflection of a leadership that has stopped putting football first,” and stressed that the concern isn’t unique to the confederation. CONCACAF also pushed back on the idea that FIFA operates like a private business, laying out what it sees as a basic obligation that comes with running the sport’s governing body. “FIFA is not a private company. It is an institution that holds football and its members in trust,” the statement read. Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations welcome the withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).https://t.co/H2KdBi1jJG— Concacaf Media (@ConcacafMedia) August 1, 2026 The statement closed on a note of unity, praising the “courage and unity” shown by its member associations throughout the week and crediting the media for bringing the proposal “out of the shadows“. CONCACAF’s intervention adds another heavyweight voice to the growing list of confederations demanding answers from FIFA’s president, layering fresh pressure onto the organization just as UEFA issued its own declaration of no confidence in Infantino. Could Infantino lose the presidency? Nothing is confirmed, and Infantino hasn’t resigned or announced any plans to step aside. But the fallout from the FIFA Forward Enterprise collapse has left him increasingly isolated, with reports suggesting even FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström has been pushing internally for his resignation. Infantino is still expected to seek re-election when FIFA’s presidency is decided in May 2027, but UEFA officials have reportedly been searching for a heavyweight candidate capable of mounting a serious challenge. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG president with deep ties across UEFA’s Executive Committee, had emerged as a name UEFA officials privately discussed as a potential rival. However, Al-Khelaifi has ruled that out entirely, with his spokesperson saying: “Nasser has absolutely no ambition, no intention, no interest in the FIFA role.”
