UEFA No Longer Trusts FIFA Leadership

UEFA has pulled its support for FIFA's current leadership. They say they can no longer trust president Gianni Infantino after a secret plan to allow private investment in the World Cup came to light.

In a strong statement on Saturday, UEFA accused FIFA of acting in a "shabby, back room, opaque" way. They said not only UEFA but also other members of the football community have lost confidence.

Infantino tried to calm the situation after he canceled the plan on Saturday. This plan would have allowed private investment in the World Cup. UEFA led the protest against this plan, threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions. They welcomed the cancellation but said Infantino has lost their trust and that of others in football with his "shabby, back room, opaque deal."

Their statement came just hours after Infantino announced the embarrassing decision to scrap the plan. His smooth path to re-election next year is now in doubt after strong backlash since the proposal was revealed on Tuesday.

"Our purpose has always been, and will always be, to unite and improve," Infantino said.

"As a result, this proposal will not proceed."

FIFA, the global body for football, announced the plan on Tuesday. They said it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a $20 billion valuation for a new FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). This subsidiary was meant to run events like the World Cup and Club World Cup.

FIFA said that if the plan was approved, each of its 211 member associations could get a one-time payment of $20 million in early 2027. They also promised to increase funding for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.

UEFA did not hold back in criticizing Infantino for this mess. This was less than two weeks after he celebrated a successful World Cup with 48 teams held in three countries.

"The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," the statement read.

UEFA said the 56-year-old Swiss had broken promises he made when he first ran for election in 2016. He promised to be "transparent" and that FIFA’s money was "your (the member associations) money" and "not the money of the FIFA President."

"On both these promises, he has failed to deliver," UEFA stated.

"The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent.

"And with reserves standing at over $5 billion, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game."

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), representing 47 member nations, also welcomed the plan's withdrawal but used softer language. They said any plan that may affect global football should be "presented and discussed with the Confederations, the FIFA Council, Member Associations (MAs), and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner."

AFC joined UEFA and the North American and Caribbean federation (CONCACAF) in condemning the proposal. CONCACAF includes the three World Cup co-hosts: the US, Canada, and Mexico.

South American confederation CONMEBOL, whose president Alejandro Dominguez is seen as a close ally of Infantino, asked for more details on the "scope, structure, governance and potential effects" of the project.

The African Football Confederation (CAF) had asked their members to review the plan. But the planned meeting next week about the proposal is now unnecessary.

Pressure increased on Infantino on Friday with the resignation of senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro. He called the idea "a bad deal for FIFA’s member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."

In his statement about the plan's cancellation, Infantino said the project aimed to strengthen member associations. He added it would only have gone ahead if a majority supported it.

"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," he said.

The troubled Infantino stated he would focus on restoring unity while growing the game.

"Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the goal to continue growing football everywhere, especially in countries that need our support," he said.