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Three confederations call for an independent review of Infantino’s 2027 bid
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf accused FIFA’s leadership of a fundamental breach of trust after FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced his bid for re-election in 2027. The confederations called for an independent review of how a proposal to sell FIFA’s share in the World Cup to private investors was handled.
Gianni Infantino’s announcement in May that he would seek re-election as FIFA president in 2027 has met with joint opposition from three of FIFA’s six continental confederations.
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf criticized FIFA’s handling of a shelved proposal to sell FIFA’s share in the World Cup to private investors. The three confederations said the issue was not simply a communication or procedural error, describing it as a fundamental breach of trust and calling for an independent review.
Voting support does not guarantee political authority
Each of FIFA’s 211 member associations has one vote in elections. The opposition of confederation presidents therefore does not mean that all national associations will vote against Infantino.
Herve Verhoosel, a former senior United Nations official who has written about FIFA’s leadership, said the confederations’ public declaration of a fundamental breach of trust with FIFA’s management would make it harder, particularly for smaller associations, to take a different position.
Verhoosel said Infantino could remain in office by securing individual votes, but winning an election was different from retaining the political authority needed to lead a divided organization.
In his view, if a significant part of FIFA does not trust its leadership, every major decision could become a new confrontation, every vote a test of loyalty and every new initiative a struggle between rival blocs. In that case, the question facing FIFA’s 211 associations will not only be whether to support Infantino, but also whether the current situation serves FIFA’s interests.
Pieth: The situation is “very serious”
Mark Pieth, the former chairman of FIFA’s Independent Governance Committee, said the situation at FIFA was “very serious.” Pieth said Infantino might try to retain his position through the votes of individual associations, and argued that the FIFA president had made mistakes and treated many associations outside Europe disrespectfully.
Pieth said this approach had played a role in Infantino losing support in Asia. The Asian Football Confederation had previously backed Infantino’s intention to seek re-election, making its current opposition more notable.
Accusations from Jordan
The dispute referred to by Pieth was brought into the spotlight by statements made last week by Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association and one of FIFA’s former vice presidents.
Prince Ali said Jordan had unresolved issues, including expenses related to the World Cup and unpaid Arab Cup prize money. Accusing FIFA and Infantino of “blackmail,” Prince Ali also alleged that he had received a verbal message suggesting that supporting Infantino during the World Cup would help the Jordanian association.
Jordan, which qualified for the 2026 World Cup for the first time in its history, had not previously supported Infantino. Prince Ali said the Jordanian association would not support Infantino or vote for him.
Two days after Prince Ali’s accusations, FIFA was announced to have paid the outstanding prize money owed to Jordanian players and technical staff. Prince Ali welcomed the payment but said it had not changed his concerns about FIFA’s leadership or his decision not to support Infantino.
November application deadline approaches
Infantino’s political future will be shaped less by bloc votes from the confederations than by the individual choices of national associations. This leaves Infantino time and room to maneuver as he rebuilds his alliances ahead of the 2027 election.
However, the approaching November deadline for applications to run for the 2027 FIFA presidency means the debate is not limited to the number of votes required. In the face of open opposition from half of FIFA’s continental confederations, whether Infantino can retain the trust and political authority needed to lead world football will remain one of the central questions of the election process.
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