Platini urges Infantino to resign as FIFA head
Former UEFA president Michel Platini said Gianni Infantino is failing as the guardian of football’s rules and should leave FIFA amid the World Cup rights controversy.
Michel Platini has publicly urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, sharply criticizing Infantino’s stewardship and saying he has failed to uphold the rules of the game. The comments come amid ongoing fallout from Infantino’s proposal to transfer parts of World Cup commercial rights to private investors.
Platini: the game’s rules must be protected
“Economic issues are one thing, but I think Infantino has failed because he is the guarantor of the rules of the game and does not respect them,” Platini said, explicitly questioning Infantino’s role as the guardian of football’s regulations.
Platini pointed to specific recent decisions he believes run counter to the sport’s spirit. “The advertising breaks at the World Cup and the extended halftime break in the final are not part of football, and the removal of the red card from the U.S. international Folarin Balogun is the worst thing that has ever happened. He is the guarantor of the rules of the game, but he does not respect them, so he must go,” Platini added.
Infantino has faced mounting criticism in recent weeks after presenting a plan to sell World Cup rights to private investors for billions of dollars — a proposal that sparked strong opposition across European football and prompted talks of a boycott of the tournament.
Under pressure, Infantino withdrew the project and UEFA suspended its immediate threat of a boycott. Still, sources say tensions remain high: UEFA’s leadership continues to consider additional measures against the FIFA president, including potential legal steps.
The dispute has underscored wider unease among European football stakeholders about governance and commercialisation at the sport’s highest level.
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