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08/01 10:49 CDT UEFA declares no confidence in Infantino and vows
accountability for failed World Cup equity plan
UEFA declares no confidence in Infantino and vows accountability for failed
World Cup equity plan
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
Associated Press
GENEVA (AP) --- Successfully stopping Gianni Infantino's FIFA plan to sell
World Cup profits to private investors was the first half of a high-stakes game
in global soccer politics.
The second half kicked off Saturday with what seemed a clear aim of ending
Infantino's decade-long presidency.
"No option should be off the table," said European soccer body UEFA, whose
president Aleksander ?eferin has led the fight against Infantino in a seismic
week for FIFA.
"The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that
of many other members of the football family."
Later Saturday, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean
soccer (CONCACAF) called for accountability, saying: "A (World Cup) proposal of
this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is a symptom of
leadership that has stopped putting football first. This recent unilateral and
egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps
and similar behavior. A full review of this leadership must now take place."
Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with
private investors but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday's
announcement.
Infantino was forced to scrap the plan early Saturday after his senior adviser
who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asia's soccer body joined Europe
and North America in opposing it.
UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, issued its blistering statement
hours after FIFA announced it was withdrawing its private equity plan.
"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," UEFA said. "We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.
"It is right that, in the coming days and weeks, UEFA will work with its
associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to reflect on
how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again."
Norwegian soccer federation president Lise Klaveness, an elected member of the
UEFA executive committee, said steps must be taken to protect the integrity of
the sport.
"The entire framework of international football cooperation was unnecessarily
put at risk in pursuit of individual interests rather than the best interests
of the game," Klaveness said Saturday. "This has been visible to many for a
long time, including those of us elected to positions intended to safeguard
checks and balances and provide ongoing oversight. We have to recognize that
these mechanisms have not worked well enough."
The president of the Asian soccer confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al
Khalifa, said "the future of global football must always be shaped through
proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established
governance structures of our game."
Infantino' audacious bid fell apart after UEFA's 55-member nations agreed
Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. CONCACAF and
the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.
CONCACAF's statement added that FIFA leaders have "a duty of service over
power. Where that duty is not upheld, accountability cannot be optional."
There was also an internal revolt.
Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who
represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup,
resigned on Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.
Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to
The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino's lack of
openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the project must not
continue.
"It is the project of one person," wrote Lamour, a longtime colleague of
Infantino at both FIFA and UEFA. "Not only must this project not go ahead ...
but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the
right questions and make the right decisions."
Infantino had proposed spinning off FIFA's commercial businesses --- including
World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women --- into a $20 billion
subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.
The "anchor investor," described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm
launched by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of U.S. President Donald
Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
This is not Infantino's first big plan to flop A tumultuous week in international soccer is at least the third time Infantino has rocked it with an ambitious plan many in the sport saw as reckless. But the fallout from FIFA's Kushner-backed plan is the first time UEFA has acted quickly to create momentum for removing the man who was its former long-time employee. In 2018, Infantino pushed a secretive offer of $25 billion from Japan's SoftBank to create new competitions, that posed a long-term risk to continental events for clubs and national teams. In 2021, Infantino proposed playing World Cups every two years instead of four --- an idea that also angered the International Olympic Committee where he is an elected member. Both plans created big rifts in the sport and were eventually dropped by FIFA. Despite the turmoil, Infantino was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. The third time shapes to be different.
Here is the calendar for the FIFA presidency Nov. 18 is the deadline for candidates to enter the next presidential contest, exactly four months ahead of the vote in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA has its African headquarters. FIFA statutes allow Infantino one more four-year term in office. The failed spinoff venture seemed like a way to create a commissioner-like role for Infantino beyond 2031, likely paying much more than his current annual salary and a bonus deal of more than $6 million. It would take 106 votes to ensure a majority in a contested election. Continents surely do not vote uniformly en bloc, but most of Europe's 55, plus Asia's 46 and CONCACAF's 35 FIFA members would be a solid base. ___ Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage
This is not Infantino's first big plan to flop A tumultuous week in international soccer is at least the third time Infantino has rocked it with an ambitious plan many in the sport saw as reckless. But the fallout from FIFA's Kushner-backed plan is the first time UEFA has acted quickly to create momentum for removing the man who was its former long-time employee. In 2018, Infantino pushed a secretive offer of $25 billion from Japan's SoftBank to create new competitions, that posed a long-term risk to continental events for clubs and national teams. In 2021, Infantino proposed playing World Cups every two years instead of four --- an idea that also angered the International Olympic Committee where he is an elected member. Both plans created big rifts in the sport and were eventually dropped by FIFA. Despite the turmoil, Infantino was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. The third time shapes to be different.
Here is the calendar for the FIFA presidency Nov. 18 is the deadline for candidates to enter the next presidential contest, exactly four months ahead of the vote in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA has its African headquarters. FIFA statutes allow Infantino one more four-year term in office. The failed spinoff venture seemed like a way to create a commissioner-like role for Infantino beyond 2031, likely paying much more than his current annual salary and a bonus deal of more than $6 million. It would take 106 votes to ensure a majority in a contested election. Continents surely do not vote uniformly en bloc, but most of Europe's 55, plus Asia's 46 and CONCACAF's 35 FIFA members would be a solid base. ___ Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage
