The hardline stance which UEFA, backed to the hilt by the SFA, and their AFC and CONCACAF counterparts have taken to the FIFA plan to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, should ensure that an ill-conceived, a downright sinister even, project is strangled at birth.
World football’s governing body, whose intention is to allow external investors to buy “minority, non-controlling” stakes in a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise, require 106 of their 211 member associations to approve their proposal for it to go through.
UEFA, who announced yesterday that their national teams would not participate in any FIFA competition while this scheme remains on the table, and AFC and CONCACAF, who have publicly condemned the move in the strongest possible terms, members make up 143 of the votes combined.
Those organisations should be applauded for acting so decisively and swiftly. Everything about this unfortunate business, from the lack of consultation to the prospect of outside agencies exerting a nefarious influence over the beautiful game’s showpiece tournaments, stinks.
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Yet, if Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president who has very much been the driving force behind the plan, somehow manages to remain in office it should be a source of great concern to anyone who cares about the sport. It is time for the Swiss administrator to go regardless of what transpires.
It is quite incredible that an individual who promised to reform his discredited organisation and repair its tarnished reputation after a raft of corruption scandals when he took over from his disgraced predecessor Sepp Blatter in 2016 has allowed himself to become such an absurd and polarising figure.
There was not a lot of love for Gianni long before FIFA Forward Enterprise was floated. His conduct had grown increasingly concerning and erratic during his lengthy tenure. But his actions at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States this summer ended what little support remained for him.
The exorbitant price of tickets, and briefs for the Scotland group games cost as much as £523, angered and alienated supporters and, coupled with the introduction of hydration breaks during matches, fuelled justifiable accusations of crass overcommercialisation.
His unwillingness to intervene when Somali referee Omar Artan was prevented from entering the United States by Customs and Border Protection due to “vetting concerns” was staggering. The issue could have been anticipated in advance and addressed by a competent and principled figurehead. The episode sent out a dreadful message.
But it was his role in the Folarin Balogun affair which tipped many critics over the edge. The red card which the United States striker was shown in the last 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was suspended after Infantino had fielded a call from president Donald Trump. Allegations of political interference were difficult to refute.
How can FIFA possibly say that commercial partners will have a “non-controlling” interest in their events after that grubby controversy when Thrive Eternal - the private investment fund which is run by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared – will be the lead investor in FIFA Forward Enterprise?
There are numerous mechanisms which can be used to oust Infantino and a growing desire for change around the globe. But, as Blatter showed by clinging on to power for 17 years, it may not be an entirely straightforward process.
The next FIFA presidential election is due to take place at Rabat in Morocco on March 18, 2027, and the current incumbent, who has exploited a legal loophole over his partial term in office between 2016 and 2019 so that he can bypass the 12 year term limit, can be voted out democratically.
If a rival candidate who has presented an alternative financial plan which guarantees equal or greater revenue distribution stands and receives the backing of 106 associations then Gianni is gone. A challenger has until November 18 to put their name forward.
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But Infantino has, as Blatter did before him, apparently secured the backing of smaller football nations by distributing massive grants. He has claimed to have received formal letters of support from 200 associations ahead of the 2027 to 2031 cycle.
That, though, was before FIFA Forward Enterprise reared its ugly head. Many who were previously supportive will doubtless have changed their view.
A member association can also lodge a complaint with the FIFA Ethics Committee. If an investigation uncovers corruption, financial malpractice or illegal political interference, the committee has the power to issue a fine, temporary suspension or even a lifetime ban from all football activities.
The threat by all 55 UEFA associations to boycott all FIFA competitions, though, could force the 56-year-old out before it comes to that.
The prospect of a World Cup going ahead without defending champions Spain, England, France or Germany is inconceivable. The tournament would collapse financially without its largest and wealthiest backers.
That alone could result in Infantino, who has been typically defiant since news of his warped vision for the future of football was made public earlier this week, being jettisoned.
Will the former UEFA general secretary bow to growing pressure and stand down of his own volition? That is highly unlikely. He remains adamant his €$20bn scheme has been devised for the overall good of the game and will help to generate unprecedented income going forward.
But the way this increasingly megalomaniacal character has gone about this proposal has caused as much alarm as the morally questionable nature of what is being mooted. He has set federations a deadline of September 19 to accept the plan, and access a pay out of $20m, without any dialogue whatsoever. It smacks of a legal bribe, reeks of coercion.
Every possible effort must be made to remove Gianni Infantino as FIFA president even if FIFA Forward Enterprise, something which has been tipped to lead to the Donald Trump World Cup if it goes ahead, falls by the wayside.
