Gianni Infantino fights on as FIFA president after leadership backing. So, what now?

For those who wondered if Gianni Infantino could be shamed into a rapid resignation, we now have the obvious answer.

Infantino is fighting on and on late Wednesday evening, he appeared to score a victory for the first time since his clandestine plot to sell off stakes in FIFA’s business came to light. Infantino summoned FIFA’s management board to Morocco, where he had opened a FIFA Africa office in late 2024.

Morocco, a co-host of the 2030 men’s World Cup, is one of the few places on earth that has felt like home turf for Infantino in recent days. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation was one of the first associations out of the traps to support Infantino after he was forced to abandon his scheme on Friday night.

FIFA’s office in Rabat is even based inside the Mohammed VI Football Complex, the premises of the Moroccan federation, while its president Fouzi Lekjaa is also a member of the FIFA Council.

Not all members of FIFA’s management board turned up. Arsene Wenger, chief of global football development, and Jill Ellis, chief football officer, were both absent, while Kevin Lamour, the chief operating officer who on Friday accused Infantino of “deceiving” staff with “the project of one person”, was not present either. Wenger had issued a statement on Tuesday, saying it was “necessary” to ditch the plan, but he does not appear to be taking matters further.

Those on the board who did make it to Rabat did not admonish Infantino but instead signed off an extraordinary show of faith. A statement said those “in attendance reaffirmed their full support” for the FIFA president.

Remarkably, this included the FIFA general secretary Mattias Grafstrom, who only on Tuesday wrote to all staff at FIFA to condemn a “sad and reproachable series of events — which were thankfully concluded with the FIFA Forward Enterprise project permanently abandoned.”

Grafstrom, according to multiple sources who did not wish to be named so as to protect relationships, was not involved in drawing up the plans and his relationship with Infantino has been damaged by a series of decisions over the past year, including over the extent of Infantino’s fawning over U.S. president Donald Trump and expansion of both the Club World Cup and World Cup.

In his Tuesday memo, he even wrote that individuals “come and go”, which many presumed to mean he may be prepared to put the interests of FIFA ahead of Infantino’s future. European plotters had started to think they may have a breakable ally right at the heart of Infantino’s empire.

Yet on Wednesday, FIFA’s second-in-command Grafstrom capitulated spectacularly to Infantino when he co-signed a letter sent to all 211 FIFA member associations.

The letter acknowledged that “processes, communications and interactions” between Infantino, Grafstrom and the management board could be improved, while acknowledging “mistakes” had been made. “We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again,” wrote Infantino and Grafstrom, before saying a “necessary review” would be made and presented at the next FIFA Council meeting.

Given Grafstrom did not design the plans, it is unclear as to why he felt the need to apologise, other than to provide support for Infantino. The pair even posed for a choreographed thumbs-up smiling photograph to be posted on Instagram.

Having shown a modicum of contrition, the letter then went on the attack, saying FIFA will “no longer tolerate” attacks on its integrity, governance and due process, saying it would take “all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation”. It also claimed that everything related to Infantino’s project had been in “full compliance” with FIFA’s regulatory framework.

This, therefore, was Infantino on the front foot, boosted by many but not all of FIFA’s most senior staff. The immediate response, particularly in Europe, was one of anger. Some attempted to decode Grafstrom. Is he complicit in propping up Infantino? Is he holding out until Infantino’s enemies have the numbers to dethrone him? Is he using Infantino’s moment of weakness to gain concessions, power or influence? Is he vulnerable to what Infantino may be able to reveal about him?

It also reiterated that Infantino’s foes and potential usurpers are now deep into a fight that is only going to get dirtier. Since Infantino pulled his plan, these combatants have thrown plenty at the FIFA president.

European football’s governing body UEFA said FIFA’s leadership had lost its confidence. Concacaf, the confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean football, called for a “comprehensive reckoning” on his presidency. Both have encouraged their member federations to withdraw letters endorsing Infantino’s re-election, over 200 of which were submitted by the end of the World Cup.

Some European nations (England, Wales, Serbia, Greece and Sweden) have gone public in doing so, but others, such as Switzerland, have not followed suit, with the Swiss saying they wish to speak one-on-one with Infantino before taking a next step. Concacaf federations are yet to do so and several say they are in no rush to commit either way, with nominations not till November for next spring’s presidential elections.

Others have shown fewer reservations. Former FIFA presidential candidate and Jordan Football Association (JFA) executive Prince Ali bin Al Hussein accused FIFA of trying to “blackmail” the JFA into supporting Infantino’s bid for reelection as FIFA boss.

In a scorching post on Twitter on Tuesday, Prince Ali wrote that his organisation had been failed by FIFA on visas for their fans to enter the U.S. during the World Cup, tax bills from competing in America during the tournament and unpaid payments from the FIFA Arab Cup in December.

Also this week, The Athletic revealed on Saturday that FIFA is still to pay $250 million in solidarity payments to clubs from the Club World Cup in 2025, while the 2029 edition is also in doubt due to a lack of a participation agreement between clubs and FIFA, with clubs angered by Infantino’s attempts to sell a stake in the competition.

Then The Athletic revealed on Tuesday that U.S. cities were chasing FIFA for millions of dollars they believe they are owed by the organization, while Infantino’s integrity was called into question when Sky News reported FIFA sent “scripted letters” to football associations offering statements to endorse Infantino for re-election as president.

On Wednesday, documents were leaked to media organizations which suggested — but did not prove — that FIFA was involved in early plans to formulate a Super League, a proposal which was killed in spring 2021 and Infantino subsequently condemned publicly.

Last night FIFA responded to a report in the Guardian with a statement from Infantino at the time that said FIFA “strongly disapprove” of the Super League plans.

Infantino also faced criticism from the former Barcelona and Real Madrid winger Luis Figo, the ex-Portugal international who is also a paid adviser by UEFA. To the ordinary fan, unfamiliar with his UEFA links, it appeared an impromptu drive-by. Figo called Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in FIFA events to private investors the “most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.” His X post promoting a first-person piece written for the Daily Mail recorded over six million views.

“Infantino has debased the office that he promised to elevate,” Figo said. “He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.”

Infantino’s support among lawmakers is also diminished. After the new UK prime minister Andy Burnham called for his exit, the Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said he did not have “confidence” in Infantino.

“It should be fatal,” Carney said. “Certainly I don’t have confidence in Mr. Infantino.

“I’ve run a few organizations in my time. The idea that proper governance is not to disclose to your closest advisers, your chief operating officer, your fellow board members, something of consequence that you’re even considering let alone proposing, that should be fatal and you lose confidence in that individual.”

Carney also boosted the Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, the man widely tipped to emerge as Infantino’s most likely rival if enough votes can be generated. Montagliani, like the vast majority of international football executives, has not made himself available to media over the past week to set out his personal views on the issue, or a vision for how FIFA might operate differently without Infantino.

Late last night, Infantino, who has taken no questions on the scandal, was back on his preferred communications platform: Instagram. He shared statements of support, one from the Philippines Football Federation and another from the Mongolian Football Federation.

They joined Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Kuwait in backing Infantino from the Asian confederation, which would be a key battleground should a genuine contest emerge.

The Saudi Arabian federation, which is in the process of electing a new head of its organisation, is yet to comment, despite Infantino having engineered their sole hosting of the World Cup in 2034, but this may be procedural hesitancy.

For Europe, where hostility against Infantino is most entrenched, the meekness of FIFA’s management board may breed despondency. They may have hoped that others would follow Lamour and Infantino’s now former adviser Carlos Cordeiro in putting their jobs on the line for the cause.

They know they must maintain momentum and attention if Infantino is to be forced out, or they must dig deep and uncover something so material that it compels even those most loyal within FIFA and member associations to take another look.

For now, these individuals have committed to Infantino’s no-shame era, where behaviour is no longer moored to conscience, where actions do not have consequences.