FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing growing pressure over his leadership after abandoning a controversial proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup, a plan that sparked widespread opposition from football’s regional governing bodies.
The criticism intensified on Sunday when Claudius Schaefer, chairman of European Leagues and chief executive of the Swiss Football League, suggested Infantino’s position had become difficult to defend.
Speaking to Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung, Schaefer said there could be “only one consequence” when the head of an organization pushes through a major commercial deal without consulting its governing bodies.
“When I saw how this whole thing unfolded and that FIFA’s key bodies weren’t involved, then there’s essentially only one consequence in any company or association,” Schaefer said.
When asked whether that meant Infantino was no longer acceptable as FIFA president, Schaefer replied that such actions would normally lead to leadership consequences in any company or association.
The proposed deal, which FIFA officially withdrew on Friday, reportedly involved selling part of the commercial rights linked to the World Cup. The plan triggered immediate backlash from several football stakeholders who argued that such a move lacked transparency and proper governance.
Europe’s football governing body, UEFA, and North America’s CONCACAF said they had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership following the controversy.
Schaefer also warned that the proposal reflected FIFA’s increasing focus on generating revenue through larger and more frequent tournaments, potentially at the expense of domestic football competitions.
“The focus is solely on financial benefits, while everything else is ignored,” he said, arguing that expanding FIFA competitions would further congest the already packed international football calendar and place additional strain on players and national leagues.
He added that even members of the FIFA Council—the organization’s top decision-making body—were reportedly unaware of the proposal, calling it surprising that such a significant initiative had been pursued without broader consultation.