The Guardian view on Gianni Infantino: in the interests of the game he professes to love, he should go | Editorial
The Guardian editorial argues that Gianni Infantino should resign as Fifa president after plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity were leaked and then abandoned. It says the episode has seriously damaged his authority and could trigger a wider conflict within world football if he remains in office.
Infantino issued an apology acknowledging the proposal could have been handled differently, but the editorial argues that a sale threatened football’s governance despite Fifa holding billions of pounds in reserves. Uefa has reiterated its lack of confidence, Norway has called for him to stand down, and some European bodies are considering boycotting Fifa competitions; however, Mexico, Argentina and several African nations have backed his continued leadership.
- Guardian urges Infantino to resign over abandoned World Cup stake sale.
- Uefa and Norway have intensified pressure on Fifa’s president.
- Support from some federations may prolong the dispute.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Infantino should resign because the private equity proposal, however subsequently withdrawn, represents a fundamental failure of governance and judgment that has irreparably damaged his authority. The episode demonstrates either a serious lapse in consultation with key stakeholders or a willingness to pursue consequential decisions without proper consensus, and the fracturing of confidence amongst Uefa and several European bodies—combined with the proposal's threat to football's public governance structures—suggests his continued leadership will breed further conflict and instability within the sport, making his departure necessary for the institution's good.
The case against
Infantino's position remains tenable because the proposal was exploratory and abandoned before implementation, and his apology acknowledges the procedural shortcomings without requiring resignation for a withdrawn idea. He commands substantial support from Mexico, Argentina and African nations representing the global breadth of football, and removing a sitting president over a cancelled proposal would set a destabilising precedent and hand victory to regional opponents rather than addressing legitimate concerns through dialogue; continuity of leadership is important for an organisation managing complex international tournaments, and resignation would represent capitulation rather than problem-solving.