Infantino Faces Calls for ‘Full Review’ Amid Growing Pressure

Gianni Infantino's leadership of Fifa has been publicly questioned by football's governing bodies in Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Uefa and Concacaf both released statements on Saturday criticising the leadership at the world governing body after Infantino said Fifa would no longer proceed with the proposal to sell stakes in their competitions to private investors.

Uefa welcomed the decision to withdraw the plan, describing it as a "victory for the whole game". The body accused Infantino of failing to deliver on promises, quoting a speech he gave when campaigning to become Fifa president in 2016.

Concacaf followed Uefa in criticising the plans, saying "unity had prevailed" and that the proposals were a "symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first".

"This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A full review of this leadership must now take place," a Concacaf statement read.

The fallout from the plans means Infantino is now under immense pressure as he seeks re-election for a fourth term as president at the Fifa Congress in March.

Uefa were the first major governing body to react to Infantino's decision to drop the investment plans, saying the Swiss had failed to deliver on his promises.

"The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," Uefa's statement read.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the first leader of a major country to call on Infantino to resign, said Fifa made "the right decision" to back down.

Qatar's football association became the first body to publicly back Infantino, despite welcoming his decision to scrap the investment plans.

While the proposal had merit, we applaud the wisdom behind prioritising unity among member associations," said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, president of the Qatar FA.

Earlier on Saturday, Uefa had released a lengthy statement criticising the plans, accusing Infantino of "failing to use associations' money for the benefit of the game".

"We must start to use some of that money that is sat idle in Fifa's bank account to deliver the kick-start that the grassroots and the wider game need," the statement added.

Fifa has yet to respond to Uefa's statement, with the governing body yet to comment on the growing pressure on Infantino's leadership.

The governing body of European football has called for a full review of Infantino's leadership, with the decision to scrap the investment plans being seen as a "victory for the whole game".


Source: BBC Sports