Here’s Why FIFA’s Infantino Crisis Could Continue Through Early 2027
TOPSHOT – FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino gestures during a visit to a sports complex in Cali, Colombia, on August 7, 2026. (Photo by Jaime SALDARRIAGA / AFP via Getty Images)
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By the time you finish this piece about FIFA President Gianni Infantino, some of this story might be old news.
That is how the Infantino controversy has affected the soccer news cycle the past month.
Barring a surprising resignation from the FIFA president, this soap opera will probably be in the news many times daily until soccer’s world governing body holds its elections in March 2027. That’s when Infantino is expected to run for a fourth term.
Unless he finds some sort of parachute, golden or not, and resigns.
In a nutshell, this is how it went down:
On July 28, Infantino unveiled FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would sell as much as 20 percent of the stake in future World Cups to investors valued at around $20 billion. Interested investors included JP Morgan Bank, tech investor Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared, and several others.
The worldwide backlash and critical reaction were swift.
UEFA, Europe’s governing body, threatened to boycott future World Cups. That offer still stands today. Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation eventually joined UEFA in criticizing Infantino’s plans.
The Confederation of African Football supported Infantino, as did several member associations from the Oceania confederation, and Argentina and Mexico.
Infantino scrapped the plan on July 31.
“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he said in a statement.
But the soccer universe was forced to endure a week in which FIFA and the rest of the world would like to forget.
But it will be difficult to forget or forgive.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 25: Briana Scurry and Michelle Akers light the Empire State Building in celebration of Women’s Sports Summit at The Empire State Building on April 25, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)
Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust
Former players say, “Enough is enough”
The latest news came on Monday, when a group of World Cup champions and international standouts released a statement saying that “Enough is enough,” about Infantino.
Some of the players who signed the statement included 1998 men’s World Cup winners Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu, and Robert Pires, former goalkeeper Briana Scurry, who backstopped the U.S. to the 1996 Olympic gold medal and the 1999 Women’s World Cup crown, and former England international Lucy Bronze. Peru forward Claudio Pizarro, former Argentina international Juan Sebastian Veron, former Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, and FIFA legends Didier Drogba and David James also signed it.
The statement was released in several languages, according to The Telegraph, an English newspaper:
“As players, football has given us everything, and we have given our lives to it. Between us, we have played on its greatest stages and worn our national shirts with pride.
“But we know that none of our achievements would have been possible without the fans, whose passion and commitment is the foundation of this game. We share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world. Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under FIFA’s current leadership.
“For too long, we’ve seen major decisions taken without players being consulted or considered, and without any regard for the fans who sustain the sport. Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football. Recent events have made silence impossible. Enough is enough.
“We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport. This is a call that unites us all, from the grassroots to the top of the game. There are good people within FIFA who want to rebuild trust, but a new era requires a structural change: a real, direct say for players and fans in how football is run.
“Those who step onto the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a genuine voice to help reshape football’s future together. The football community has been quiet for too long. For the fans, for the players, and for the good of the game, we will be silent no more.”
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JUNE 11: Samuel Eto’o arrives before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Toya Sarno Jordan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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Cameroon president Eto’o backs Infantino
Infantino has his supporters. On Monday, Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, backed the beleaguered FIFA president.
Former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o, now the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, has defended Gianni Infantino’s plot to sell stakes in FIFA’s events and commercial operations.
In an interview with CNN, Eto’o said that he hoped the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan would resurface if Infantino is re-elected for a fourth term in March 2027.
“I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong,” Eto’o told CNN. “I think the timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out, when Gianni Infantino is standing. That’s all there is.
“He made a proposal; the 211 members were supposed to sit down, debate the issue, and let the majority win. But I am convinced that the voices that were raised, those were not the voices of the majority.”
Eto’o, who made his reputation in club soccer as a striker for Barcelona and Inter Milan, added: “There was a need for debate. We should have talked about whether it is a good thing or not.”
GUADALUPE, MEXICO – JUNE 29: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Netherlands and Morocco at Monterrey Stadium on June 29, 2026 in Guadalupe, Mexico. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Close encounters of the bizarre kind
And there has been at least one bizarre encounter.
On Sunday, Aug. 23, Sky News U.S. correspondent James Matthews tracked down Infantino, who was attending a youth tournament in the Dominican Republic. Matthews, who is bald like Infantino, asked the FIFA president if he had “betrayed the game of football.”
To which Infantino replied, “You have a nice haircut. Thank you so much.”
Matthews asked one more question as Infantino walked away.
“Why won’t you resign?” he asked. “Fans, FIFA associations want you to step down. Why won’t you? Have you betrayed the trust of FIFA?”
While stepping inside a car, Infantino responded: “I’ll see you at the hairdressers.”
Bizarre, indeed.
BTW, I just checked several websites and social media platforms, and there didn’t seem to be anything new to report about the controversy.
Of course, with a 24-hour news cycle these days, we never know when the big story or sidebar is coming from.
There is always tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day after that.
The Infantino crisis could go on and on as an international soccer soap opera for many more months.
Like it or not, this controversy and FIFA’s ongoing headache are far from over.
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X an Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.
