One of Gianni Infantino’s main detractors is out at FIFA, but the pressure is mounting on the president of soccer’s global governing body ahead of March elections.
On Monday, Aug. 17, FIFA announced that COO Kevin Lamour is no longer with the organization. Lamour had been a vocal critic of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a failed plan—developed in concert with new Lakers owner Joshua Kushner—to sell stakes in the World Cup for $4.2B in outside capital.
On July 31, Lamour said FIFA staff had been “deceived” by Infantino.
The plan fell apart after it was leaked to the media, with several continental confederations and national soccer associations joining Lamour in balking at outside investment. FIFA publicly apologized for a lack of transparency, but Lamour’s apparent firing may only increase the pressure on Infantino, who has served as president since 2016 after previously serving as UEFA general secretary.
On Tuesday, Norway Football Association president Lise Klaveness told the Associated Press that Lamour’s removal was “unacceptable.” She added: “It’s management by fear.”
Also on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that one of eight FIFA vice presidents, Sándor Csányi, had written a letter to Infantino pulling his support for the president. “The fact that his dismissal was prompted by his criticism of [FFE] — an initiative that you yourself ultimately acknowledged to have been misguided — points to serious shortcomings in professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership,” Csányi wrote.
Before FFE’s collapse, Infantino was expected to sail through the upcoming presidential election, for which he is running unopposed. Expanding the World Cup field to 48 teams proved enormously successful financially for both FIFA and national associations across the globe. Now, however, soccer’s leaders are taking sides.
It won’t be easy to usurp Infantino.
Each of FIFA’s 210 active member associations, from Sri Lanka to Spain, gets one vote. So although 55-member UEFA has made waves criticizing Infantino’s leadership, the 54 members of CAF, which has come out in support of Infantino, have about the same voting power. Many smaller Asian and African federations have been among Infantino’s biggest supporters; the expanded World Cup, which he championed, meant more of their teams got the spotlight.
To oust FIFA’s embattled leader, the anti-Infantino bloc will need 106 votes in support of a to-be-named opponent. Here’s who’s lined up publicly against Infantino, as of August 18:
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
AFC’s president and general secretary co-signed a letter along with the leaders of UEFA and CONCACAF accusing Infantino of deception over the FFE proposal. Out of the AFC’s 45 members that will vote, the following countries have individually signaled opposition to his reelection:
- Jordan Football Association President Ali bin Hussein wrote on X on Aug. 4: “We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now.”
Confederation of African Football (CAF)
The CAF publicly supported Infantino in an August meeting, though some Executive Committee members reportedly abstained from the decision. No countries have publicly broken with the endorsement.
Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
CONCACAF’s president and general secretary NAME co-signed a letter along with the leaders of UEFA and the AFC accusing Infantino of deception over the FFE proposal. A statement from CONCACAF and its 41 member associations (of which, 35 are FIFA members) on Aug. 1 said: “This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A comprehensive reckoning with the presidency is imperative.”
Mexico’s football federation broke with that decision, saying that it “supports President Infantino’s leadership.” However, Guyana supported the CONCACAF statement.
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
The 11-member OFC backed Infantino in an August 12 meeting, but New Zealand broke with the OFC decision.
South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)
There is not yet any public opposition to Infantino among CONMEBOL’s 10 members.
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
UEFA’s president and general secretary co-signed a letter along with the leaders of the AFC and CONCACAF accusing Infantino of deception over the FFE proposal. But UEFA has gone even further than their Asian and American counterparts: Its 55 federations plan to boycott FIFA competitions despite Infantino scrapping FIFA Forward Enterprise. A July 30 statement from UEFA said the boycott would stand until it has “assurances” that “such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.”
In addition, the following countries have individually signaled opposition to Infantino’s reelection:
- Albania withdrew its support in August.
- Croatia withdrew its support in August.
- Denmark chose not to endorse Infantino earlier in the year.
- England pulled its support in August.
- Finland withdrew its support in August.
- Germany decided against endorsing Infantino in July.
- Greece withdrew its support in August.
- Ireland rescinded a letter of support on Aug. 13.
- Israel withdrew its support on Aug. 18.
- Netherlands cited a ”loss of confidence” in Infantino’s leadership.
- Norway called for Infantino’s resignation.
- Scotland withdrew its support on Aug. 17.
- Serbia withdrew its support in August.
- Sweden withdrew its support in August.
- Wales pulled its support in August.
Infantino remains in prime position to be reelected in March, but there’s plenty of time for opposition to his leadership to grow.
