FIFA President Infantino Faces Growing Pressure as England FA Withdraws Support

England. Pressure is mounting on FIFA President Gianni Infantino in European football. The Football Association (FA) of England has withdrawn its support for Infantino, and the European Football Association (UEFA) has indicated that the possibility of boycotting FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, remains open. The FA decided not to support Infantino in protest against the proposal to sell stakes in FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors. UEFA has also stated that even if Infantino's plan is withdrawn, its main demands have not been met. According to UEFA, two conditions must be met. First, the proposal to bring in private investment in major tournaments must be completely withdrawn. Second, a clear guarantee must be given that attempts to change the structure and tournaments of football in this way will not be made again in the future. UEFA has stated that both conditions have not been met. UEFA had already announced that it had lost confidence in Infantino. It had criticized the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal as a deal that was opaque and advanced behind the scenes. Infantino Apologized, But Did Not Resign Infantino had put forward a plan to bring private investment into major FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups, through FFE. There was a plan to provide up to 40 million US dollars to member associations that supported the proposal. However, controversy arose within FIFA after the proposal was made public. Amidst growing criticism, FIFA acknowledged on Wednesday that 'mistakes have been accepted' regarding the proposal. FIFA also clarified that it was not its intention to make the Council and member associations feel excluded from the process. Infantino has also apologized for the incident. However, he has not resigned from the post of FIFA President. UEFA, however, is not satisfied with FIFA's latest clarification. It says that it is not enough for employees appointed by Infantino to express their support for him. Questions remain about how the proposal was prepared, who was involved, and whether a competitive process was followed for private investment. UEFA has also raised the question of whether Infantino personally stood to gain anything from the plan. Dissatisfaction Within FIFA On Wednesday, Infantino held a meeting with members of the management board at the FIFA office in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Senior FIFA officials were present at the meeting. After the meeting, a picture of Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström sitting together watching a game was released. This indicates that the conflict within FIFA's leadership has somewhat subsided, but not all officials are in favor of Infantino's plan. FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour was not invited to the meeting. He had strongly criticized the FFE plan, calling it 'a one-man project.' He said it was time for the political leadership of football to raise serious questions on this issue and make the right decision. UEFA's concern is whether Infantino is being held truly accountable. UEFA believes that even though FIFA has admitted its mistake and apologized, no one has taken direct responsibility for the controversy. Difficult for UEFA to Remove Infantino Although UEFA is increasing pressure to remove Infantino from office, it has not received sufficient support from world football. Lamin Kaba Bajo, president of the Gambia Football Federation, praised Infantino's decision and said he would support him even more strongly. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also announced its unanimous support for Infantino. The South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL, however, stated that it would not support any move that disregards FIFA's established processes and mechanisms. CONCACAF, which oversees football in North, Central America, and the Caribbean, also reacted after the proposal was withdrawn, but it has not announced a loss of confidence in Infantino. In this situation, it seems difficult for UEFA to gather the necessary support to remove Infantino. Boycott is the Last Option UEFA also has the option to call an emergency meeting of the FIFA Council and bring a no-confidence motion. However, this process is challenging to succeed as it requires at least 106 votes out of FIFA's 211 member associations. Another option is to field a strong candidate against Infantino in the FIFA presidential election next March. CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani is seen as a potential candidate. However, if effective action cannot be taken against Infantino immediately, the most powerful option remaining for UEFA is to boycott tournaments. However, this would be a very risky move. If European teams boycott the World Cup or other major tournaments, the dispute with FIFA could deepen, and a major division could occur in world football. The first test of this will be on September 5. The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is starting in Poland, in which 6 European teams, including England, will participate. Infantino is currently trying to save his position. However, UEFA's distrust of his leadership, dissatisfaction within FIFA, and the controversy over private investment could make the upcoming FIFA presidential election very competitive. Whether Infantino's opponents can field a joint candidate and whether UEFA will turn its boycott threat into reality are now major concerns for world football.