UEFA have declared it has lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino, escalating tensions between the two governing bodies following the collapse of FIFA’s controversial private investment proposal.
The European governing body issued a strongly worded statement on Saturday after FIFA formally abandoned plans to sell minority stakes in its commercial subsidiary, which would have included interests linked to the men’s and women’s World Cups.
FIFA withdrew the proposal after widespread opposition from football’s continental confederations and member associations.
UEFA welcomes withdrawal but criticises Infantino
While welcoming FIFA’s decision to abandon the plan, UEFA described the outcome as “a victory for the whole game” and launched a fresh attack on Infantino’s leadership.
The governing body said the episode had severely damaged confidence in FIFA’s administration.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said in a statement.
UEFA also revisited remarks made by Infantino during his successful campaign for the FIFA presidency in 2016, accusing him of failing to uphold commitments on transparency and governance.
Quoting the Swiss official’s campaign speech, UEFA recalled his pledge that:
“Of course we have to be transparent.”
It also cited another of his promises:
“The money of FIFA is your money. It’s not the money of the FIFA president. You are the national associations and the money of FIFA has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.”
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UEFA argued that the investment proposal contradicted those commitments, accusing FIFA of pursuing an opaque process without proper consultation.
“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent.”
The latest criticism adds to mounting pressure on Infantino ahead of the FIFA Congress in March, where he is expected to seek re-election for a fourth term as president.
