Gianni Infantino has rejected calls for his resignation after FIFA abandoned a controversial plan to sell part of its competition commercial rights to a private investment firm. In a BBC Sport interview, the FIFA president laughed when asked whether he had considered stepping down and said he was supported by an “enormous, enormous majority” of world football.¹

The dispute escalated about two months ago, when UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf leaders signed a letter accusing Infantino of undermining trust through what they described as misleading conduct. UEFA became the strongest opponent of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, even threatening a boycott of FIFA competitions if the plan proceeded.¹

FIFA withdrew the proposal after only a few days, but the controversy continued. UEFA later demanded that FIFA publish key documents by November 2. Its secretary general, Theodore Theodoridis, said the federation had not answered “numerous fundamental questions” about the project.² FIFA Council members also warned Infantino that he would be “unfit to be FIFA president” unless he provided the requested material, including an explanation for creating the enterprise.¹

Infantino acknowledged that FIFA’s communication and consultations had not been handled well and said the organization needed to speak more often with UEFA. He nevertheless argued that disagreement was normal and that “we must be able to move forward.”² He also said the Asian confederation now fully supported him and that all African countries stood behind his leadership, following a diplomatic tour of Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Cabo Verde and Japan.

The president has promised an additional $3.4 billion for football development, strengthening his position ahead of next year’s election. The deadline for nominations is November 18; so far, no challenger has emerged. FIFA’s congress is scheduled for March in Morocco, raising the prospect that Infantino could seek a fourth term without opposition.¹