Čeferin urges Infantino to quit, says he faces a tough re-election fight
Čeferin called on Gianni Infantino to resign and warned of electoral trouble for the FIFA president if he stays; the row centres on the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise plan.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin publicly urged FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to step down, warning that Infantino would face a serious electoral challenge if he remains in office. Čeferin made clear he has no intention of seeking the FIFA presidency himself: "I am not interested in being president of FIFA," he said.
Pressure over FIFA Forward Enterprise
Čeferin told reporters that Infantino no longer enjoys the level of support he once did and that dissatisfaction runs deeper than FIFA’s administration — reaching players, coaches and supporters. The tension between UEFA and FIFA intensified after the disputed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, which proposed bringing private investors into the commercial value of future World Cups.
UEFA, alongside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, strongly opposed the plan; under heavy criticism from the football community the project was eventually withdrawn. Čeferin described the attempt in particularly harsh terms, saying it was even worse than the controversial European Super League and warning that major competitions must not become private property or investment vehicles prioritizing profit over the sport.
He also criticised aspects of how certain FIFA decisions were communicated, saying he had learned about some important moves through the media rather than directly from FIFA — a point he used to underline his broader concern that world football cannot be run by a single individual and must rely on collective decision-making with national associations and other stakeholders.
The dispute widened beyond UEFA when six Nordic football associations — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands — publicly stated that they had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership and called for his resignation, while also requesting an independent inquiry into the FIFA Forward Enterprise project.
Infantino has not withdrawn and has already announced his candidacy for another term. The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 2027 in Morocco, with the deadline to submit candidacies set for 18 November. While Infantino had been the dominant figure in the race, the balance could shift if opposition groups within FIFA manage to unite behind a single challenger; one name mentioned as a possible contender is CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, though his candidacy has not been confirmed.
Photo: press material from the event
