Fifth Fifa vice-president turns against Infantino, saying he has ‘lost confidence’ in him
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has lost the backing of a fifth of the organisation's eight vice-presidents, after Hungarian federation chief Sandor Csanyi wrote to him criticising his "professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership". Csanyi's letter, sent on Tuesday and first obtained by Agence France-Presse, marks a significant escalation in dissent against Infantino from senior figures across global football, adding to growing pressure on his leadership.
Csanyi cited the sacking of Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who was dismissed on Monday after criticising Infantino's now-abandoned plan to sell World Cup shares to private investors, as the "final straw". He also referenced controversial decisions at this year's World Cup, including proposals to outsource Fifa competitions to external parties. Csanyi joins Uefa's Aleksander Ceferin, Concacaf's Victor Montagliani, the AFC's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa and FA chair Debbie Hewitt in turning against Infantino, leaving only three of the eight vice-presidents – from Conmebol, Caf and the OFC – still supporting him.
- Fifth Fifa vice-president, Hungary's Sandor Csanyi, withdraws support for Infantino.
- Cites sacking of COO Kevin Lamour as the "final straw".
- Only three of eight Fifa vice-presidents now still back Infantino.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Infantino's defenders would argue that a Fifa president is entitled to reshape his senior team as he sees fit, and that removing a chief operating officer is an ordinary management decision rather than evidence of wrongdoing. They would point to Fifa's expanded revenues, the enlarged World Cup and new competitions delivered under his tenure as proof of effective, decisive leadership, and suggest that criticism from a handful of vice-presidents may reflect personal or political friction within Fifa's council rather than a genuine governance failure. They would also caution against rushing to judgement on the basis of one leaked letter before Infantino has had a chance to respond in full.
The case against
Csanyi and the other vice-presidents raising concerns would argue that the abrupt dismissal of a senior, experienced official like Kevin Lamour, following a pattern of similar departures, points to a worrying concentration of power and a lack of consultation at the top of world football's governing body. They would say that when multiple regional representatives, entrusted with overseeing Fifa's governance, independently lose confidence in the president's judgement and ethical standards, this is a legitimate institutional concern rather than mere rivalry, and that raising it openly is a responsible exercise of their oversight duties. For them, transparency and accountability at Fifa's highest level matter more than the president's operational record.