Pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino has intensified after UEFA called on him to resign, despite his decision to abandon controversial plans to sell a stake in a new World Cup commercial venture.
Infantino proposed creating a FIFA Forward Enterprise last week, following media reports by The Times that he had struck a deal with Josh Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The proposal received stiff criticism from Football Associations across the world, with UEFA threatening to boycott the upcoming 2030 World Cup, hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
One of his top advisors, Carlos Cordeiro, left the organisation, saying that the deal was "A bad deal for FIFA members, a bad deal for football and a bad deal for the long-term future of football."
Infantino eventually gave in to the criticism, acknowledging that the proposal "Caused division which, regardless of the support it might still enjoy, is no longer in the interests of the original objective."
UEFA welcomes FIFA’s withdrawal of plans to sell a stake in the World Cup
— UEFA (@UEFA) August 1, 2026
However, while most federations applauded the decision, UEFA has now taken further action against the Swiss FIFA President.
In a letter to the board of FIFA, UEFA said Infantino should step down, or it will start a vote of no confidence. It had previously sent a legal letter to FIFA and Josh Kushner's investment firm, demanding all communications around the proposal and agreements be handed over.
"This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun," UEFA stated following the announcement. "We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account."
UEFA holds enough seats to trigger a vote of no confidence. CONCACAF, the North and Central American federation, has called for a revision of FIFA leadership, seemingly supporting UEFA's initiative.
Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and President of the Asian federation AFC Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa are rumoured to be considering running against Infantino.
