The English Football Association is set to formally write to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, withdrawing its backing amid mounting pressure over his failed investment proposals.
The move follows Infantino’s scrapped plans to sell off stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors, which have triggered widespread condemnation across world football.
Wales have already publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino’s bid to continue as Fifa president, adding to the growing chorus of opposition.
Uefa and Concacaf had previously released statements criticising the proposed commercial scheme, with football’s governing bodies in Europe and the Americas publicly questioning Infantino’s leadership.
Infantino and Fifa had sought to create a commercial subsidiary called Fifa Forward Enterprise, which would have allowed external investors to buy minority, non-controlling stakes in its main competitions, including the World Cup.
Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, was expected to lead the proposed investor group for the scheme.
Infantino wrote to all 211 Fifa member associations promising each $40m if they backed the controversial proposal, setting a deadline of 19 September for those wishing to access an initial $20m payment.
Uefa confirmed in a letter to Infantino that it “is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by Fifa.”
The letter demands that all documents and electronically stored information relating to the plan be preserved, covering email, instant messages, SMS, written correspondence, and meeting notes across platforms including WhatsApp, Signal, and Teams.
Uefa added that these obligations “supersede any routine document destruction or deletion policies that would otherwise apply,” applying to any Fifa officer, employee, committee member, consultant, or agent involved in the process.
The Asian Football Confederation has said it stands in “solidarity” with Uefa and Concacaf, while Africa, Conmebol, and Oceania have so far refrained from criticising Infantino’s plan.
Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka have all pledged their support for Infantino’s continued Fifa leadership, underlining that he retains significant backing outside Europe.
If Infantino remains in his post until March, he could stand for re-election to a fourth and final term, requiring 106 votes from Fifa’s 211 member associations to succeed.
The Fifa Council could attempt to force Infantino’s resignation through an emergency meeting, triggered if 19 of the 37 council members call for one, with the meeting required within two weeks.
Uefa holds nine seats on the council, with AFC holding seven, Concacaf five, Africa six, Conmebol five, and Oceania three, completed by Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.
European associations are currently working behind the scenes to secure the 19 votes needed to force that emergency meeting, though Infantino’s support outside Europe makes the outcome far from certain.
