Fifa criticises campaign to undermine president Gianni Infantino

By Charlie Bradshaw — 8 August 2026 — 3 min read

Fifa has issued a strong statement criticising what it describes as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to “undermine” the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino. This statement follows reports concerning alleged payments and ongoing pressure from European football associations.

The governing body’s statement comes after a report claimed that a severance payment was made by Uefa to an alleged former partner of Infantino, during his time as Uefa general secretary. Fifa has stated that Infantino “strongly denies” these allegations, calling them “categorically untrue.”

Fifa has further asserted that “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” are being made, emphasising that “speculation and insinuation should not be presented as fact.” The organisation indicated it would “challenge it directly and vigorously” where reporting is found to be inaccurate or misleading.

Pressure from European Football Bodies

Infantino has faced increasing pressure, particularly from Uefa and various European football associations. This pressure largely stems from his proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan. The FFE proposal involved the creation of a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights, with a portion, specifically 21%, intended for sale to a private investment company.

Uefa has publicly stated a loss of confidence in Infantino, and the president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), Lise Klaveness, called for his resignation. The European governing body has maintained its threat to boycott Fifa events, noting that assurances regarding the FFE plan not being revived have not been received.

In response to the criticism, Fifa issued a statement on behalf of Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, which included an apology for the FFE proposal. However, the statement also declared that Fifa would “no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process.”

Support for Infantino’s Mandate

Despite the opposition from some European bodies, Fifa highlighted that its president was “democratically elected by Fifa‘s Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate.” The organisation suggested that those without the support of Fifa‘s member associations should not attempt to achieve their goals through “allegation, insinuation or misinformation” instead of through established democratic processes.

Support for Infantino extends beyond Europe. The Mexican Football Federation has publicly backed Infantino, breaking ranks with its regional governing body, Concacaf. This stance aligns with a statement from Conmebol, South America’s governing body, which would reject any attempt to remove Infantino without a vote involving all 211 Fifa member countries.

Additionally, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has unanimously backed Infantino, representing 54 nations. Fifa reiterated its position that it would not accept any challenge to Infantino’s position before the election scheduled for next March.

A statement from Fifa emphasised that “change inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of Fifa‘s president or the institution he was elected to lead.” The organisation affirmed its commitment to its 211 member associations and to football globally.

Fifa also stated that it welcomes legitimate scrutiny but views it as distinct from distorting facts, amplifying unsubstantiated allegations, or manufacturing distractions aimed at undermining progress. Infantino called members of the Fifa management board to a meeting in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday.

Source: bbc.com