Gianni Infantino could face leadership challenge as Fifa Council members rebel
Gianni Infantino is facing a rebellion within Fifa's Council, with members attempting to force an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) that could escalate into a full leadership challenge against the Fifa president. The Guardian reports that moves to trigger an EGM were already under way before Infantino's abortive plan to sell stakes in the World Cup emerged, driven instead by anger over the unprecedented decision to lift Folarin Balogun's suspension during the World Cup following reported phone calls from Donald Trump.
Fifa Council comprises 37 voting members, and a motion from 19 of them can trigger an EGM; rebels are understood to have already reached double figures. Discontent deepened after it emerged Infantino had secretly proposed selling 20% of a new World Cup operating company to Thrive Capital, a firm founded by Joshua Kushner, prompting Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation to denounce the plan, which was subsequently scrapped. While Uefa and Concacaf have since called for a governance review, Africa's and South America's confederations, plus Qatar, remain supportive of Infantino, meaning Asian backing will likely prove decisive in any attempt to oust him before the Council's scheduled November meeting.
- Fifa Council members seek emergency meeting, possible Infantino leadership challenge
- Anger centres on Balogun suspension decision and scrapped World Cup stake sale
- Asian confederation's support seen as decisive in any bid to remove Infantino
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Fifa is the organisation that runs international football, including the men’s World Cup. Its president is Gianni Infantino, while a 37-member Council takes decisions on the organisation’s behalf. Nineteen Council members can call an extraordinary meeting.
Folarin Balogun is a footballer whose suspension was lifted during the World Cup, reportedly after phone calls from Donald Trump. The decision angered some Council members, and efforts to call a meeting reportedly began before a separate proposal to sell a stake in a new World Cup company was revealed.
That proposal involved Thrive Capital, an investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, and was later dropped after criticism from several football confederations. Support for Infantino varies across the confederations, so the balance of Council members’ backing will matter to any attempt to challenge his leadership.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those pushing for the emergency general meeting argue that Fifa's governance depends on the Council being able to hold the president to account rather than rubber-stamping his decisions, and that the Balogun ruling deserves independent scrutiny rather than being settled behind closed doors. They see this as a legitimate exercise of the checks built into Fifa's statutes, arguing that a body with such vast financial and sporting influence over global football must not allow power to concentrate unchecked in one office. For these members, forcing a vote is not disloyalty but responsible stewardship of an institution still recovering from past corruption scandals.
The case against
Infantino's supporters would argue that he has delivered genuine stability and commercial growth for Fifa after years of turmoil, and that a sudden push for an EGM risks plunging the organisation back into damaging factional infighting just as major tournaments approach. They see the rebellion as a small faction exploiting one contested decision to pursue a wider power struggle, rather than a considered response to any real governance failure. From this view, dragging leadership questions into public dispute undermines confidence among sponsors, member associations and fans, and any grievances would be better resolved through established internal channels than a destabilising challenge.