Uefa and Concacaf have both condemned Fifa president Gianni Infantino following his decision to withdraw a controversial investment plan, with the two confederations calling for a full review of his leadership ahead of his bid for a fourth term at the Fifa Congress in March.
Uefa was the first major governing body to respond, describing the withdrawal as a “victory for the whole game” while accusing Infantino of failing to deliver on promises he made when campaigning for the presidency in 2016. The European governing body quoted Infantino directly from that campaign, recalling his pledge that “the money of Fifa is your money” and his commitment to transparency — promises Uefa says have gone unmet. “The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” the body’s statement read, branding the dropped proposal a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”
Concacaf, which oversees football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, followed with its own statement, saying “unity had prevailed” and describing the proposals as a “symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first.” Unlike Uefa, Concacaf stopped short of naming Infantino directly, but called the episode part of “a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour” and said “accountability cannot be optional.” The confederation added: “A full review of this leadership must now take place.”
Concacaf also raised broader questions about governance, asking how such a proposal was allowed to proceed and who bore responsibility for it — pointing to those who “concluded they can no longer protect the game from within.”
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, described as the first leader of a major country to call on Infantino to resign, said Fifa had made “the right decision” in backing down. The episode leaves Infantino facing significant pressure as he seeks re-election, having served as Fifa president since February 2016.
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
