Infantino on the brink? Who might replace him if he goes?
Life moves fast for Fifa president Gianni Infantino. It was doing so earlier this month as he was zig-zagging across the United States in a
Life moves fast for Fifa president Gianni Infantino. It was doing so earlier this month as he was zig-zagging across the United States in a private jet to make him virtually omnipresent as the World Cup reached its crescendo. On 19 July he must have felt on top of the world as, together with US President Donald Trump, they handed the trophy over to Spain. Less than two weeks later, Infantino is in a lonely place after scrapping controversial plans to sell off stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment.
Condemned by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, castigated by fans of the game he professes to want to protect. These can easily be deflected as hazards of the job. Less so the threatened boycott of Fifa competitions by European governing body Uefa - an attack reinforced by Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia). All three organisations, in their own way, offered a withering assessment of how Fifa is being run under Infantino.
"This issue extends far beyond a single proposal," said the AFC. "Rather, it has exposed fundamental weaknesses in Fifa's consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed." Sources say, in addition to rejecting Infantino's plan, the vast majority of the Concacaf members are either losing faith in the Fifa president's ability to govern the game, or have lost it altogether. On top of that, Carlos Cordeiro, special advisor to Infantino and appointed by Trump as senior advisor to the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, has resigned.
Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said in a statement to Associated Press that Fifa's own administration was "deceived" about the project. BBC Sport has approached Fifa for comment. It feels as though the walls are closing in on Infantino. But if this is the beginning of the end of his tenure, who takes over?
The BriefWire