FIFA president Gianni Infantino has rejected calls to resign over the collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project and says most member associations still back him ahead of the presidential election in March 2027. He made the comments in an interview with the BBC, as reported by Tuổi Trẻ, Dân trí and Bongda24h. Tuổi Trẻ said Infantino laughed when asked whether he had ever considered stepping down.

What Infantino said

Infantino pointed out that he was elected by 211 member associations from around the world, Dân trí reported. He said differing views are normal in an organisation with as many members as FIFA, but that anyone who values democracy and believes football belongs to everyone must also respect the view of the vast majority.

To make his case, he pointed to fresh support in Asia and Africa. He told BBC Sport he had just come back from Tokyo, where the Asian Football Confederation had fully backed him, Bongda24h reported. He also mentioned a visit to Cape Verde, where African associations showed their support, and said he is in regular contact with associations around the world.

From FFE to a fourth-term bid

KBVN+ has pieced together the background from three outlets:

  • The FFE collapse: Tuổi Trẻ described FFE as a plan to bring private capital into FIFA's major tournaments, scrapped after a backlash. Dân trí called it a project to sell a stake in the World Cup and said Infantino faced a wave of calls to resign three months ago, when it failed. According to Bongda24h, UEFA and CONCACAF led those calls.
  • An apology that did not settle it: Infantino apologised to the FIFA Council for mistakes in the investment plan, but European representatives remained unhappy that many questions had not been answered (Tuổi Trẻ).
  • UEFA's 42 questions: UEFA sent FIFA a list of 42 questions demanding explanations over the plan to sell part of the World Cup's commercial rights, the lifting of a suspension on US striker Folarin Balogun and the decision to give the FIFA Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump (Bongda24h).
  • The AFC's U-turn: the AFC had joined UEFA and CONCACAF in criticising the FFE proposal, but on 23 October AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa publicly backed Infantino's re-election (Tuổi Trẻ).

Where the support stands

Citing AP, Bongda24h reported that around 87 member associations have now openly declared support for Infantino, while UEFA remains opposed. Dân trí said only UEFA and CONCACAF are currently in opposition, and reported that UEFA intends to put forward David Beckham to stand against Infantino. In Dân trí's view, the incumbent holds a big advantage in the race.

Tuổi Trẻ cautioned that Infantino's claim of majority support still has to be tested at the ballot box by the member associations, and that the disagreements over FFE have not gone away.

What comes next

The deadline for presidential candidacies is 18 November, and the election is expected in March 2027, according to Tuổi Trẻ and Dân trí. If re-elected, Infantino would begin a fourth term. The key question before the deadline is whether UEFA formally puts up a challenger. KBVN+ covered the AFC's switch in our story on the AFC backing Infantino for re-election.