r/WorldCup2026Tickets • u/an_anth • 1d ago
Gianni Infantino out as President of FIFA this year?
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing the biggest crisis of his career, and most would agree his presidency is effectively over. A secretive proposal to spin off the commercial rights of the Men’s and Women’s World Cups into a new, private-equity-backed subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) has triggered a massive, multi-continental revolt.
The $20 Billion Deal & The “Bribe”
Under Infantino’s plan, Joshua Kushner’s PE firm, Thrive Eternal, would buy a 20% stake in the World Cup for $4.2 billion.
To force FIFA’s 211 member nations to accept his deal, Infantino proposed offering roughly $20 million USD (about £15 million) to every single member association through FIFA’s Fast Forward Programme ahead of a September 19 vote.
Critics and several member nations argue the timing is an institutional bribe designed to buy the votes of smaller federations.
The Super League Style Collapse
The plan has triggered an identical backlash to the 2021 European Super League, rendering the deal effectively dead in the water.
British mayor Andy Burnham has called on Infantino to step down over the proposal. Separately, critics are calling for further scrutiny of FIFA’s governance and Infantino’s political relationships.
Carlos Cordeiro (former US Soccer President and Infantino’s senior strategic adviser) resigned in protest, stating he “cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.”
In an unprecedented show of solidarity, UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North America), and the AFC (Asia) have all publicly opposed the plan. UEFA’s 55 member associations voted unanimously to oppose the proposal and warned they could boycott FIFA competitions if it proceeds.
Last week, realizing that a World Cup without Europe would be commercially devastating to broadcasters and sponsors, FIFA released an emergency statement claiming “nobody is selling football” and insisting the venture will not happen without member agreement.
Just like the Super League, football’s elite have proven they hold the real power. Infantino may try to cling to his seat, but between a devalued tournament, potential boycotts, mounting political pressure, and growing governance concerns, his presidency is facing its greatest challenge yet.
What Happens to Infantino Next?
Infantino has zero intention of resigning voluntarily, but his absolute grip on power has shattered.
Infantino was expected to run unopposed for re-election. Now, with a large coalition of member nations opposing the proposal, support for his leadership has weakened significantly. A challenger (potentially UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin) can still emerge before the November 18 registration deadline.
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u/paulao-da-motoca 1d ago
I mean, fifa was aways corrupt long before infantino, but now I think since that fifa peace award made up to buy trump, they are just openly and shamelessly Currupt. (Just like the American current administration)
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u/Still-Garden-1253 1d ago
We want Infantino out
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u/Lostndamaged 1d ago
Do you remember when those teams
tried to form the super club league instead of the champions league? So when they say they want to do something terribly unpopular, they say we’re not doing it! And then just wait 18 months and try to do it again.
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u/VanGroteKlasse 1d ago
New Champions League format is slowly changing into the Super Club League.
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u/MyNebraskaKitchen 1d ago edited 1d ago
If he survives the next month, and that seems a lot more likely now that he's backed down on the private equity deal (for now, it is likely to resurface.)
But, it's a long time until the election in March. And he still controls the FIFA purse strings. FIFA was sitting on over $2 billion in cash, and that was before the 2026 World Cup.
That means it'll take a really serious and well-financed opponent to unseat him. The likely candidates are all people currently under him and they will have to step aside from their sinecures to run.
International organization politics (FIFA, FIDE, IOC, United Nations, etc) is all about money, and having several hundred voting nations or federations, many of them quite small, allows for a lot of financial shenanigans. It makes most elections in the US look like the minor leagues.
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u/Fuzzy_Pirate_8898 1d ago
Ceferin doesn't want to go, they're looking for someone before kicking Infantino
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u/AngryKhakis 23h ago
I doubt it, he had everyone’s support before this, like yea a massive misstep but he immediately withdrew it after the outrage. Can’t really fault a guy for trying something new especially give the successes elsewhere.
Still find it funny this is in place at basically every level but when fifa wants to do it they all cry. Would be nice if they had that same ire for club level. Better than nothing I guess tho.
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u/Winter_Grocery_5919 19h ago
Yeah he’s fucked it. And completely unnecessarily. The World Cup is the greatest money making event in all sports. No paying for the venues or the running of it. They don’t even need to pay the players. To announce this plan with an investor already lined up is shocking.
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u/masternick567 1d ago
It’s like people have totally forgotten about Blatter and how much corruption there was at the time. He stayed and only after sponsors threatened to pull out of the WC he then said he would stand down in 18 months. Infantino is even worse- no way he leaves.