FIFA's crisis of trust

Gianni Infantino built his FIFA presidency on the promise of a clean break from the corruption years of Sepp Blatter. That promise has not survived his own instincts for backroom dealing. A month after the 2026 World Cup closed with record revenues, the FIFA president is fighting for his job after a plan to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors triggered a global backlash.

Some of the major global football federations have jointly called on him to resign, accusing him of a breach of trust following the collapsed proposal. The plan would have handed a private investor a substantial stake in FIFA's ticketing and commercial rights before it was shelved amid outcry over the World Cup being effectively put up for sale. A letter from three football confederations in this matter is notable for its restraint. It states that leadership in football is not something to be held or demanded, but a duty of service entrusted by the football family. That reframes the dispute as one over whether FIFA's president answers to those who elected him. Reports that Infantino summoned a select group of officials to a crisis meeting in Morocco, rather than convening the full committee in Zurich, only reinforced that suspicion. FIFA's response, warning of a concerted effort to undermine its president, suggests an organisation more focused on managing perception than answering the underlying charge.

FIFA members need an independent forensic review of who conceived the private-investment plan and why the membership was not consulted before terms were negotiated. They need a binding rule requiring confederation and Congress approval for any commercial restructuring above a defined threshold, closing the gap that let one man shop around the World Cup in secret.