In a crisis that erupted in August 2026, FIFA president Gianni Infantino faced a coordinated international coalition determined to force him from power, with French President Emmanuel Macron personally inserting himself into the escalating turmoil. The Swiss-Italian executive confronted organized opposition from the world's largest football confederations after the collapse of his controversial plan to sell 20% of FIFA's commercial rights to private investors for €4.2B—a move that had alarmed European football leaders, including Italy's representatives within UEFA.
Why This Matters
• €4.2B privatization scheme abandoned after fierce resistance from UEFA, CONCACAF, and Asia's AFC—but damage to Infantino's credibility proved irreversible, with particular concern voiced by Italian and European federation officials.
• Finland, Wales, and England formally withdrew support for his 2027 re-election bid, potentially triggering a broader European exodus that threatened to reshape FIFA's power structure.
• Macron personally intervened on multiple calls with Infantino, aligning France with UEFA's hardline stance ahead of the March 2027 FIFA Congress—a move with significant implications for Italian football's standing within European governance.
• Infantino sought help from the Trump administration, reportedly attempting to reach President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on August 3 to "protect his job," a diplomatic move that underscored his growing isolation.
The French President Picks a Side
Emmanuel Macron inserted himself directly into the FIFA power struggle, according to reporting from French sports daily L'Équipe. The President of France, which co-hosted the 2024 Olympic Games and is a central pillar of European football, had been "personally involved for several days" in the turmoil surrounding Infantino's leadership.
Macron telephoned the FIFA president to stress the "necessity of unity in world football" and to prevent "lasting fractures between continents and federations." More significantly, Macron pledged full support to UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin in the brewing battle to deny Infantino a fourth term. The intervention signaled that the FIFA crisis had escalated beyond sporting politics into genuine diplomatic territory, with heads of state positioning themselves for influence over the governance of the world's most popular sport—a development watched closely by Italian football stakeholders.
France's stance carried weight: the French Football Federation is a historic power within UEFA, and Macron's involvement provided political cover for other European governments, including Italy, to apply pressure on Infantino. The move also reflected concerns shared across Europe that privatizing FIFA's crown jewel—the men's World Cup—could undermine national interests and erode European influence over future tournaments, directly impacting Italy's negotiating power within FIFA.
Infantino's Failed Gamble
The trigger for the August 2026 crisis was Infantino's proposal to create a new commercial entity, the "FIFA Forward Enterprise," which would have managed revenue streams from the World Cup and the expanded Club World Cup. The plan involved selling a 20% stake to private investors—with Thrive Capital, a firm founded by Joshua Kushner (brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law to Trump), reportedly in consideration.
Infantino pitched the scheme as a way to raise immediate capital and modernize FIFA's financial structure. Instead, it detonated a coalition of opposition. UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation condemned the proposal as opaque, reckless, and a betrayal of football's collective ownership. UEFA escalated further, threatening a full boycott of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if the plan proceeded—a stance endorsed by Italian football leaders concerned about the implications for Serie A clubs and Italian national team revenues.
Internal dissent erupted as well. Carlos Cordeiro, a senior advisor to Infantino, resigned over the proposal, calling it "a bad deal for football." Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour accused FIFA leadership of misleading staff about the deal's structure and risks.
By July 31, 2026, Infantino shelved the plan. But the political damage had been inflicted irreversibly.
Coalition Threatens to "Paralyze" FIFA
According to The Times of London, the presidents of UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC coordinated strategies to remove Infantino from office, whether by forcing his resignation or defeating him in the March 2027 elections in Morocco. Italian federation officials participated in these strategic discussions, recognizing the stakes for European football's future governance and tournament hosting rights.
Their tactics included:
• Boycotting FIFA Council meetings to deny legitimacy to Infantino's decision-making and force dialogue on structural reforms.
• Creating parallel international tournaments outside FIFA's control, leveraging Europe and the Americas' economic clout—a move that would reshape competitive international football and potentially benefit Serie A players.
• Lobbying federations to withdraw endorsements, creating the perception of a lost mandate and forcing a leadership transition.
"Everyone is firmly convinced he must go, and if he doesn't, we will take all necessary steps to remove him from power," a source close to the alliance told Italian press agency ANSA. "This includes organizing future international competitions: would the great South American teams prefer to face France or Spain, or Lebanon and Djibouti?" The reference underscored how Italy and European footballing nations could leverage their economic power to reshape international football outside traditional FIFA structures.
The reference to Lebanon and Djibouti—nations Infantino had allegedly courted for support—underscored the coalition's argument that the FIFA president had become dependent on smaller federations that relied heavily on FIFA development grants, rather than the sport's economic engines, of which Italy's football federation remained a pillar.
European Federations Begin Exodus
The Football Association of Finland became the first federation to publicly withdraw its support for Infantino's re-election. It was quickly followed by Wales, whose Football Association issued a statement citing "recent failures in good governance, procedures, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications, and common sense."
Now the Football Association of England, one of the most influential voting members and a central ally of Italian football within UEFA's strategic framework, had formally pulled its endorsement. The FA sent a letter to FIFA confirming it no longer backed a fourth Infantino term. Given England's symbolic and political weight, the move encouraged other European associations, including Italy, to consider their own positions more carefully.
UEFA escalated legally. According to The Telegraph, the confederation sent a letter to FIFA headquarters in Zurich threatening legal action and demanding that all documents related to the privatization scheme be preserved—including emails, instant messages, meeting minutes, and SMS records—to prevent destruction of evidence. Italian federation representatives backed these legal pressures, recognizing the importance of transparency in FIFA governance.
Infantino's Transatlantic Lifeline
Isolated and under siege, Infantino turned to a familiar ally: Donald Trump. The two had cultivated a relationship over several years, with Infantino presenting Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025. They had appeared together at major football events tied to the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada—a tournament that would shape revenues and tournament structures for years ahead, with direct implications for Italian football's international standing.
According to the New York Post, Infantino attempted multiple unsuccessful calls to Trump after the collapse of the privatization scheme. On August 3, sources indicated that Infantino scheduled a private conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for that morning, aimed at securing political intervention "to protect his job."
However, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson publicly contradicted the report on X (formerly Twitter), stating there were "no plans" for Rubio to speak with Infantino and denying any scheduled call. FIFA informally dismissed the reports as well, claiming no contact with the Trump cabinet had been planned.
Nevertheless, the mere fact that Infantino sought American political cover illustrated how desperate his position had become. Infantino reportedly hoped that support from nations aligned with Trump—Qatar, Lebanon, and Morocco—could be leveraged to influence their respective confederations and secure enough votes to survive the political onslaught.
What This Means for Global Football Governance—and Italy's Role
For those who follow the sport closely, the August 2026 crisis represented a potential inflection point in how football would be governed going forward. FIFA's 211 member associations each hold one vote in presidential elections, meaning smaller nations possess equal weight to powerhouses like Germany or Brazil. Infantino had relied on this dynamic, using FIFA Forward development grants to build loyalty among smaller federations.
But UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC collectively represented more than 140 voting members—enough to deny Infantino a majority if they maintained unity. Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, was emerging as a potential challenger. The Canadian had called for "deep reflection" on FIFA's leadership and could count on 96 combined votes from Europe and North America if he launched a campaign.
For Italy specifically, the outcome carried profound implications. As a historic footballing nation with deep UEFA influence, an Italian presence in FIFA's leadership hierarchy, and substantial interests in how World Cup revenues were distributed and tournaments hosted, Italy's federation wielded significant leverage in the unfolding negotiations. The Italian Football Federation's eventual stance—whether to align fully with UEFA's anti-Infantino coalition or maintain tactical flexibility—would shape not only FIFA's immediate future but also Italy's influence over tournament hosting, revenue-sharing mechanisms, and the governance reforms that would follow Infantino's departure.
Other names circulating included Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, though he had denied interest, and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the AFC. The race remained fluid, and the subsequent months would determine whether Infantino could rebuild his base or whether the alliance succeeded in ending his decade-long reign—and more importantly for Italian observers, which leadership structure would emerge to shape European football's future.
The Battle Just Beginning
What began in August 2026 as a financial maneuver had morphed into a full-blown political and legal war, with continental confederations, national governments, and private interests all jockeying for control. Macron's involvement, UEFA's legal threats, and the FA withdrawals signaled that the old order—where FIFA's president operated with near-total autonomy—was collapsing.
One former International Olympic Committee marketing chief described Infantino's position as "radioactive," suggesting his leadership was effectively over even if he formally remained in office. Whether Infantino could survive until March 2027, let alone win re-election, remained an open question that would reverberate through European football for years to come.
For Italian residents and football followers—a nation with deep stakes in both UEFA politics and World Cup hosting ambitions—the outcome would shape the future structure of international football, the distribution of tournament revenues, and the balance of power between Europe and the rest of the world. The Italian Football Federation, initially cautious in its public statements, faced mounting pressure to declare its position alongside other major European confederations. The federation's eventual stance would signal whether Italy stood unified with France, England, and UEFA leadership or maintained strategic distance—a choice that would carry consequences for Italian football's influence in global governance for years ahead.
The siege of FIFA had only just begun in August 2026, and the endgame remained uncertain—but for Italy, the stakes could not have been higher.
