A coalition of former international football stars, including World Cup winners, publicly demanded immediate change in FIFA's leadership on August 24, accusing President Gianni Infantino of losing sight of football’s core values under the influence of power [1, 2, 3, 4]. The group said, "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. Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football" [1]. They called for a structural reform that would grant players and fans a direct say in how the sport is governed [4].
Infantino, president since 2016, abandoned a controversial plan to create a commercial body to manage FIFA tournament rights, which included selling a 20% stake to private investors [1, 2, 3, 4]. Despite this retreat, opposition against him is mounting. Several FIFA confederations, including UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF, are reportedly considering a vote of no confidence [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
However, not all voices align against him. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its president Patrice Motsepe continue to support Infantino [6, 7, 5]. Samuel Eto’o, former Cameroon striker and current head of the Cameroon Football Federation, defended Infantino, attributing much of the backlash to election politics. He said, "I think all these things are happening because of the timing. There's an election coming up where Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there's an election coming up. That's all there is" [6]. Eto’o also stated, "I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong. I think the timing of all of that is because there’s an election coming out" [5].
The disagreement over Infantino's impact centers on whether his leadership has been detrimental to the game or a positive force. Critics argue he has allowed power to cloud his judgment and drift football away from its values [1, 2, 3, 4]. Supporters credit him with elevating smaller and African nations in the football world [6, 7, 5].
Infantino is seeking a fourth term in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027 [1, 6, 3, 7]. The pressure from former players and some confederations is expected to shape the months leading up to the vote.
