European federation heads are now sure a rival to Infantino will emerge for next year’s FIFA vote, after the English and German chiefs doubted his ability to lead following a marathon three‑and‑a‑half hour council session.
At the opening, Infantino apologized for bypassing the board on his scrapped World Cup sell‑off, yet he left dozens of European FA queries hanging—ranging from the FFE scheme to Trump’s peace prize and the Balogun saga, which saw the US striker’s ban reversed after presidential lobbying.
Two US lawyers then delivered a half‑hour pitch on the FFE, touting a $20 bn (£15.1 bn) valuation and a proposed 20 % stake sale to Thrive Capital as a win for FIFA. Attendees demanded they exit, and one admitted FIFA had hired and paid him for the review.
Council members pushed the vote on a disciplinary tweak—dropping the right to overturn straight‑red cards—until more details on Balogun are supplied. Infantino vowed to report back by the Doha meeting on 16 December, after nominations close on 18 November for the March election.
The fate of the FIFA peace prize and whether Trump remains its lone recipient now sits with the social responsibility panel, while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al‑Khalifa will chair a new governance reform committee. Apart from that, the session ended without concrete answers, to the chagrin of English FA chair Debbie Hewitt.
We got no answers to our specific requests,” Hewitt said. “If Infantino won’t address them, he isn’t fit to run FIFA.” For my money, his apology rings hollow.
German FA president Bernd Neuendorf went further, demanding a sweeping overhaul of FIFA’s administration, hoping the new committee under Sheikh Salman will take charge.
The entire bureaucracy must be overhauled, he warned, and that can’t happen with Gianni at the helm. A complete political reset of FIFA’s leadership is needed.
He acknowledged the apology, but felt it was driven by the FFE project’s council omission rather than genuine remorse.
Neuendorf expressed strong confidence an alternative challenger will surface, a sentiment echoed by UEFA senior figures who anticipate a late nomination to limit FIFA’s chance to block it.
Continental heads who have called for Infantino’s exit—UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin, CONCACAF’s Victor Montagliani and Sheikh Salman—have ruled themselves out, and rumours of Arsène Wenger or Michele Kang stepping forward have been dismissed.
Council approved a plan to allocate $3.5 bn (£2.6 bn) from FIFA’s reserves, giving each national association $25 m over the next four‑year cycle.
Montagliani is reportedly critical of Infantino, yet the president still enjoyed strong backing from Asian and African council members.
Mauritania FA president Ahmed Yahya insisted, “I’m certain Gianni Infantino is the right president. The majority want him to stay.” After the proposal was withdrawn, Infantino apologized, leading to a measured debate that largely shelved the issue.
The executive committee says it will focus on football’s positives and push ahead. Will this pragmatic approach be enough to restore confidence in FIFA’s governance?