Fifa: Infantino on the way out?
Fifa President Gianni Infantino has withdrawn his controversial proposal to sell World Cup shares to private investors. The plan will no longer be pursued, the head of international football's governing body explained. But criticism of Infantino's leadership continues unabated, with the head of Spain's Laliga, Javier Tebas, calling for his resignation. Commentators ask what the future holds for the Fifa president - and his federation.
Finland was first
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat is relieved that Infantino's plan has failed:
“Infantino lost all sense of proportion when he focused on pushing through his own interests at the expense of the international football federation. In any case, these events have done nothing to dispel the speculation about the corruptibility of presidents of international sports federations. And by the time Infantino withdrew his plans it was too late. ... Fortunately, the Fifa members – the national football associations – took a firm stance against them and are now showing Infantino the door. We can be particularly proud that the Finnish Football Association was the first to withdraw its support. Others are now following Finland's example.”
Fifa needs separation of powers and transparency
Infantino is not the real problem, argues Miguel Maduro, former chairman of Fifa's Governance and Review Committee, in the Financial Times:
“Rather, the central issue here is that Fifa is both the regulator of world football and its main commercial actor. In any other sector such an arrangement would be recognised as an obvious conflict of interest. Yet football has normalised it. ... The solution is simple: Fifa's regulatory functions should be separated from its commercial activities. Its governance should become genuinely inclusive and representative, giving meaningful voice to players, supporters, women and other stakeholders. Oversight must be genuinely independent, protected by transparent appointment procedures.”
The same ones always win
Globalised football is far less open than it appears to be, Yetkin Report puts in:
“ The 23 tournaments held between 1930 and 2026 have been won by just eight countries. And these eight countries are on only two continents: Europe and South America. Football may have become globalised, but the geography of the champions has remained for the most part unchanged. ... Football's greatest prize is becoming a contest not just between the most talented players, but also between the strongest football ecosystems. The World Cup's map of champions reflects the much-discussed relationship between centre and periphery in the global economy. ... The centres of power in football may shift over time, but the geography of the champions is far more consistent.”
Substitute needed
Gianni Infantino's days as Fifa president are no doubt numbered, says The Independent:
“His botched attempt to hand a critical interest in the World Cup over to private equity, and to someone closely linked to the Trump family to boot, will end his career, and rightly. ... Mr Infantino's position now resembles that of any democratic politician who has lost the confidence of his own party. ... He will have to be substituted, preferably by someone from Africa who can balance the realpolitik power exerted by UEFA and Concacaf. He's lost the fans and the dressing room, and he really has no alternative but to retire with as much grace as he can muster.”
The elephant in the china shop
Público sees fundamental missteps:
“Fifa has acted with elephantine clumsiness, destroying delicate balances, emotional ties, laws, rules and conventions in the process. Over the decades, from Havelange to Blatter and now Infantino, this organisation has become a perfect reflection of commercialisation and at the same time accumulated chronic allegations of corrupt elections, concessions to military dictatorships and flagrant human rights violations in the selection of wealthy regions as venues for events. ... It has become clear that, for Infantino, the procedures are irrelevant as long as the ultimate goal is achieved: transforming the most beautiful game into a financial product.”
Putting the system to the test
Fifa now faces a crucial decision, La Libre Belgique explains:
“Over the last ten years, Gianni Infantino has built his power on a promise: to put an end to the excesses of the Blatter era through greater transparency and a fairer redistribution of revenue. Yet it is precisely on these two fronts that he is now under attack. The trial has already taken on a political dimension. The matter now lies in the hands of the 211 member associations, which are due to elect the next president in March 2027. And this is not just about choosing a president – they will decide whether Fifa should continue to be run with an iron fist or whether the time has come to put an end to the Infantino system.”
Greed won't disappear
Even with a different president nothing would fundamentally change at Fifa, argues Dagens Nyheter:
“So far, only Victor Montagliani, president of the continental confederation Concacaf [North and Central America], has come forward. The Canadian is regarded as a man of good intentions, but it's hard to believe that Fifa will undergo any fundamental changes. It is the huge, ostentatious commercial interests and greed that have turned Fifa into the much-derided organisation it is today. The opportunities to make money from a sport that seems to be constantly expanding are unlikely to diminish, even if Gianni Infantino were to disappear from the scene.”