Also known as: FIFA president Gianni Infantino · Mr Infantino · FIFA President, Gianni Infantino · Swiss supremo · President Infantino · President Gianni Infantino · Mr. Infantino
Gianni Infantino — FIFA president since 2016, facing criticism over a scrapped plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors and withdrawal of support from multiple confederations ahead of his March 2027 re-election bid.
… Alexis Mac Allister’s poor challenge on Dani Olmo received nothing more than a brief admonishment, prompting Spain fans to ironically chant the name of Fifa president Gianni Infantino. …
… Former England player Wayne Rooney, who was part of the commentary team for the BBC, gave his instant reaction: “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.” Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined the FIFA boss Gianni Infantino
FIFA officials will look at the possibility of expanding the World Cup by another 16 teams before the 2030 event, President Gianni Infantino said in an interview. …
Plans for a 64-team men’s World Cup are set to be assessed after the 2026 tournament, with Fifa boss Gianni Infantino saying the event needs to be “for the whole world”. …
… e part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport,” Collina said. “Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials … Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino …
… Belgium’s victory came after extraordinary drama when U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban for a red card was suspended after President Donald Trump personally urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case. …
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been invited by the Confederation of African Football to attend a Strategy Conference in Cape Verde on October 7 and 8. CAF's executive committee and a number of African football associations have expressed support for Infantino, who faces a potential challenge to his leadership in next year's presidential election following fierce opposition to his proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions to private investors.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been invited by the Confederation of African Football to attend a Strategy Conference in Cape Verde on October 7 and 8. CAF's executive committee and a number of African football associations have expressed support for Infantino, who faces a potential challenge to his leadership in next year's presidential election following fierce opposition to his proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions to private investors.
UEFA and CONCACAF have written to FIFA president Gianni Infantino calling on FIFA to pay at least $10m from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle for infrastructure and football development. The demand follows FIFA's scrapping of a private equity proposal after widespread opposition from national associations.
UEFA Vice-president Laura McAllister said the organization remains on course to find a candidate capable of defeating Infantino in next March's FIFA election, uniting football's confederations, and delivering governance reform. McAllister stated the candidate need not be European but must have a clear reform programme and be capable of winning support across FIFA's member associations.
England's Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has demanded that FIFA president Gianni Infantino release all documents relating to his cancelled plan to sell a 21% stake in World Cup commercial and ticketing rights to a private investment company. Hewitt's letter, sent before the next FIFA Council meeting on 15 October, also calls for an independent review of the proposal and accuses FIFA of governance failures.
FIFA said it will present a review of the withdrawn FFE proposal—which would have sold commercial stakes in tournaments to outside investors—to the FIFA Council, following criticism from Denmark's football chief Jesper Moller over a lack of answers about the abandoned project launched by President Gianni Infantino.
European soccer players' union FIFPRO Europe called for FIFA governance reforms, releasing a study arguing that FIFA's withdrawn Forward Enterprise initiative would have converted flagship competitions into assets for private capital without proper stakeholder consultation. The union said governance shortcomings that enabled the proposal remain unresolved and that any future solidarity funding should be shaped jointly by stakeholders, not advanced unilaterally.
France's Football Federation joined England, Italy, and four other European nations in withdrawing support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his failed plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. The FFF said Infantino's governance does not meet football's standards, despite his abandonment of the investment proposal.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reconfirmed his intention to seek re-election in March 2027, despite facing calls to resign from UEFA, the AFC, and CONCACAF following the failed attempt to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA competitions to private investors in July. Infantino retains support from the African and South American confederations.
Belgium's Football Association continues to seek answers from FIFA about why Folarin Balogun was permitted to play against Belgium in a World Cup last-16 match after his one-game ban was suspended, a decision the RBFA says was highly unorthodox and prompted by US President Donald Trump and White House lobbying. The RBFA has requested the matter be discussed at FIFA's Council meeting on 15 October and says it will not support Gianni Infantino's reelection as FIFA president.
FIFA confirmed that president Gianni Infantino, who has held the position since 2016, will stand for re-election in 2027 after facing backlash over a scrapped plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment firms. UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in response to the proposal.
FIFA says president Gianni Infantino, who has led the organization since 2016, will stand for re-election in March 2027. His announcement follows backlash over a scrapped plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors, which prompted UEFA and several European football associations to threaten boycotts.
FIFA has accused UEFA of a "smear campaign" in response to UEFA's legal challenge over President Gianni Infantino's scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. UEFA had accused Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" and promoting a fraudulently off-market price for personal benefit in relation to the now-shelved FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has commended Ghana's football development initiatives following a meeting with Ghana Football Association President Kurt Okraku in Zürich, citing the country's recent qualifications for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup as evidence of progress in grassroots and infrastructure development.
Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon Football Federation president, said African federations should support FIFA President Gianni Infantino, crediting him with accelerating development of continental associations and expanding World Cup participation for African nations. Africa had nine direct places at the 2026 World Cup, compared with five in 2022.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Ghana's football development drive following a meeting with GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku in Zürich, citing the country's qualification for the FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups as evidence of progress.
Everton have reached a £40m deal for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun as they look to bolster their attack before the transfer deadline. Balogun, a United States striker who previously played for Arsenal, has scored 31 goals in 91 matches for Monaco.
Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, who was to lead a $4.2bn investment for a 20% stake in a new FIFA commercial subsidiary under the now-shelved FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, says he regrets joining the proposal, stating he had "failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football." The plan was abandoned in July following major backlash.
UEFA has filed criminal charges against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over a scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. UEFA accuses Infantino of "criminal mismanagement," alleging he engineered the scheme to enrich himself and private investors at FIFA's expense.
The Nigeria Football Federation's president, general secretary and executive committee have all resigned, with outgoing president Ibrahim Gusau citing the decision after consultation with family, friends and stakeholders. The resignations come amid scrutiny over the performance of Nigeria's national teams, including the men's failure to qualify for the last two World Cups and the Super Falcons missing the 2027 Women's World Cup after losing a play-off to South Africa.
UEFA has applied for access to evidence and documents for criminal proceedings in Switzerland against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of "criminal mismanagement" over a now-scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors. UEFA also says it is considering pursuing criminal action against other FIFA officials.
Uefa has filed criminal proceedings in Switzerland against Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Fifa itself over a plan to sell commercial rights to the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. Documents show Uefa alleges Infantino announced the scheme on July 28, 2026, without consulting Fifa's council, other confederations, or member associations.
UEFA has withdrawn its threat to boycott FIFA competitions after securing a guarantee that the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan will not be revived, but will pursue efforts to remove FIFA president Gianni Infantino by supporting a challenger when he stands for re-election in March. UEFA considers the race likely to be close, with 106 of 211 member associations needed for election, and has not abandoned hopes despite deciding against pursuing a no-confidence vote.
Uefa is set to drop its threat of boycotting Fifa competitions after receiving assurances that Gianni Infantino's plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors will not be repeated. The decision will be discussed at Uefa's executive committee meeting in Monaco on Thursday.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out standing for FIFA president in March 2027, though he expects another candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino following widespread opposition to the latter's now-scrapped plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called Gianni Infantino's abandoned proposal to sell a 21% stake in FIFA competitions' commercial and ticketing rights to a private company "worse than the Super League", saying football would be "literally sold". UEFA led opposition to the plan, with its members voting to boycott World Cups unless it was scrapped.
Kevin Lamour, FIFA's chief operating officer, has been dismissed after publicly criticizing Gianni Infantino's plan to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors. Lamour, who had warned that FIFA's administration had been "deceived" and that the plan would be shelved, departed less than two years after joining from UEFA.
FIFA announced that Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has left the organisation weeks after publicly criticising Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in World Cup and tournament commercial rights. Lamour said FIFA staff had been "deceived" over the proposal and described it as "the project of one person," while a senior adviser to Infantino also resigned in protest before Infantino withdrew the plan.
Fifa has dismissed chief operating officer Kevin Lamour following his public criticism of president Gianni Infantino over a plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors. Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister has criticized the dismissal as sending a "deeply troubling message" to those seeking change in football governance.
Premier League chief Richard Masters has criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino's now-abandoned plan to create a company managing World Cup commercial and ticketing rights with 21% sold to private investors, calling it a "self-inflicted wound." Masters backed the FA's withdrawal of support for Infantino and called for a new unity candidate for FIFA president.
FIFA has sacked Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour after he criticised Gianni Infantino's plan to sell part of the World Cup to investors. Lamour, who served for two years, had said FIFA staff had been "deceived."