Fifa attacks 'effort to undermine' president Infantino

Fifa has issued a defiant statement defending president Gianni Infantino and accusing his critics of a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine the organisation and its elected leader. The warning, delivered as a deepening crisis threatens Infantino’s tenure, is widely seen as a direct challenge to Uefa and other European football powers that have questioned his leadership amid fresh controversy.

Payment to former employee reignites scrutiny

The statement came hours after Uefa confirmed on Saturday that a “departure payment” was made to a female employee who, according to The Daily Telegraph, was alleged to have been in a relationship with Infantino over a decade ago while he was Uefa’s general secretary. The Telegraph reported the payment amounted to a six-figure sum. Fifa dismissed the underlying allegations as “categorically untrue” and implied that the story was part of a coordinated campaign to remove Infantino before the presidential election scheduled for next March.

Norwegian federation’s call to resign rejected

Pressure on Infantino has also come from the Norwegian Football Federation, which publicly called for his resignation. Fifa’s statement appeared to respond directly to that appeal, insisting that the president was “democratically elected” by member associations and continues to serve with their mandate. The organisation accused those pushing for his removal of seeking to “achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation” what they cannot through Fifa’s established democratic processes. It also said it would not tolerate any process concerning the presidential election that is inconsistent with its statutes.

World Cup sell-off and the crisis of trust

This confrontation has been building since Fifa proposed selling a 20% share in a new company that would manage the World Cup’s commercial rights. Uefa, acting with all 55 of its member associations, threatened to boycott Fifa tournaments unless the proposal was withdrawn. Fifa abandoned the plan within 48 hours, but Uefa immediately clarified that the boycott threat would remain, signalling that European football’s leadership has lost confidence in Infantino’s judgment and governance.

Shifting alliances and the path to a vote

Fifa’s latest salvo aligns it with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South American governing body Conmebol, both of which have publicly endorsed Infantino. Concacaf, representing North and Central America, is firmly on Uefa’s side, and there is some sympathy within the Asian Football Confederation. However, the numbers needed to remove Infantino are steep: any challenger would require 106 votes from Fifa’s 211 members. While Uefa’s 55 members can alone trigger a meeting, they fall well short of the threshold to unseat the president, meaning the support of other confederations will be decisive.

With Uefa’s boycott threat still active and calls for an emergency congress growing louder, Infantino’s position is under the greatest strain of his presidency. Fifa’s aggressive public statement suggests it will resist any attempt to bypass its governance structure. The coming weeks will show whether Uefa can rally sufficient support to force a vote, or whether Infantino can weather the latest storm and hold on to power.