European Leagues president Claudius Schaefer has said Gianni Infantino should have no long-term future as FIFA president, arguing that sweeping reforms are needed to restore accountability at world football’s governing body.
Calls for FIFA reform
- Schaefer, whose organisation represents 53 professional men’s and women’s leagues, said European football’s domestic competitions were seriously worried about Infantino’s leadership. From Switzerland, he said, the growing concentration of authority in the FIFA president had been visible year after year.
- He questioned whether Infantino remained fit for the position, arguing that important decisions were being made without proper consultation with the stakeholders who would have to deal with their consequences.
- The criticism comes during a major dispute between football’s governing organisations. Tensions intensified after FIFA proposed selling part of the World Cup’s commercial rights, a plan that has since been withdrawn.
- Infantino is facing calls to step down from three confederations: UEFA in Europe, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which governs football across North and Central America and the Caribbean.
- Those regional bodies have also considered whether to stage a confidence vote on the FIFA president.
- Questions have additionally been raised about FIFA’s first peace prize, presented to United States President Donald Trump in December, and about the removal of a suspension imposed on American forward Folarin Balogun at this year’s World Cup after Trump intervened.
Schaefer said FIFA’s status as an association governed by Swiss law meant that its president and board members had a duty to act responsibly and in accordance with the organisation’s rules.
In his view, awarding the peace prize without first notifying the FIFA Council could amount to a legal violation. He also pointed to the World Cup disciplinary controversy, describing the alleged political involvement in a sporting decision as an unprecedented scandal and warning that such conduct damaged football’s integrity.
Schaefer said the opposition facing Infantino may now be broader than at any previous point, with all the confederations and numerous national associations appearing to have turned against him. He concluded that Infantino could not credibly have a future at FIFA.
Infantino seeking another term
Infantino is expected to pursue a fourth term in next year’s election and is likely to encounter strong resistance. Schaefer nevertheless said the central issue was not simply replacing the incumbent, but fundamentally reshaping the responsibilities and powers of the FIFA president.
He said securing those reforms was the priority for European Leagues and insisted that they could only be achieved under a different FIFA president.
FIFA had not immediately issued a response to the comments.
