FIFA and UEFA in Disagreements .

Well that was a bit of excitement over nothing in the end!
Stick to what you know America.
 

Uefa tells Gianni Infantino: resign or we will vote to oust you​


Exclusive: European game’s member nations will trigger vote of no-confidence unless under-fire Fifa president falls on his own sword

Tom Morgan Sports News Correspondent Show biography
Tom Morgan

Published 01 August 2026 10:53am BST

Uefa, led by Aleksander Ceferin (right), has lost faith in Gianni Infantino, the under-fire Fifa president

Gianni Infantino is facing an ultimatum from Uefa: resign or face an emergency no-confidence vote.
It is understood all 55 of Uefa’s member nations would opt to oust Infantino in a vote of no-confidence if he refuses to step down. Uefa can trigger such a vote with just 43 member nations.
European football’s governing body announced a loss of confidence on Saturday morning and has demanded change after Infantino was forced to scrap his £15bn plan to sell a stake in the World Cup.
Uefa’s statement followed widespread opposition and a revolt within Fifa’s ranks that staff are calling “kill the monster”. Concacaf – the governing body that represents North and Central America – also issued a demand for change, saying Infantino was guilty of an “egregious act of poor governance and leadership”.
The Football Association backed Uefa’s stance, saying: “We fully support Uefa’s position. It is time for a full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart.”

‘We must hold those responsible to account’​

In its statement calling for change at the top of Fifa, Uefa said: “We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.
“It is right that, in the coming days and weeks, Uefa will work with its associations and in close co-operation with other confederations to reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again. That review should be thorough and fundamental. No option should be off the table. The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.
“When Gianni Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of Fifa’s member associations to elect him as their president in 2016, he said: ‘Of course we have to be transparent. I have been this in the last 15 years of my life in Uefa. You will have to play a part every day in the life of Fifa,’ before telling the assembled stakeholders, ‘The money of Fifa is your money. It’s not the money of the Fifa president. It’s your money. You are the national associations and the money of Fifa has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.’
“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent.
“And with reserves standing at over $5bn, he has also failed to use associations’ money for the benefit of the game.
“Uefa will begin work immediately with partners and stakeholders all over the world and right across the game to propose a new way of distributing resources through the existing Fifa Forward programme.
“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 grass roots and the wider game need in each of the 211 countries of Fifa. But we don’t need to sell off the family silver to pay for it.
“This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in Fifa has only just begun.”
Concacaf was just as brutal in its condemnation, saying: “The events of recent days have exposed something that cannot now be set aside: the future of the Fifa World Cup, the greatest asset in world football, was advanced outside every established governance framework, without transparency, consultation or due process.
“A proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is 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.”
Infantino did receive support from the Qatar FA on Saturday.
Its president, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, said: “We welcome Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s decision to withdraw the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal in the interest of the global football community.
“While the proposal had merit, we applaud the wisdom behind prioritising unity among Member Associations. The Qatar Football Association fully supports President Infantino’s efforts to continue growing and strengthening the game globally.”

How Infantino’s £15bn sell-off turned sour​

Infantino drew criticism across the footballing world after it was revealed that he planned to sell 30 per cent of World Cup commercial rights to private investors.
The scheme would have resulted in a group of investors controlling the commercial interests of Fifa’s top men’s and women’s competitions.
Uefa accused Fifa of trying to trade away football’s soul, and on Thursday its 55 member associations, including the English FA, voted 55-0 to boycott the World Cup.
But despite the Concacaf nations in North and Central America following Uefa’s lead, Fifa had earlier on Friday issued a bullish statement insisting the plan would go ahead and denied it was “selling football”.
However, once the Asian Football Confederation confirmed it, too, would resist the plan, saying it stood “in solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf to protect the Fifa World Cup”, Infantino was unable to secure more than 50 per cent support from the 211 footballing nations worldwide for his scheme.



The revolt continued to grow on Friday when Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, resigned in protest against the plan before Kevin Lamour, Fifa’s chief operating officer, said staff had been “deceived”.
Further political pressure was applied when Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, called for Infantino to step down and Donald Trump, the US president, a close ally of Infantino’s, revealed he had not been consulted on the plan.
Ashish Prashar, a political strategist with prominent football connections, backed Uefa’s move to oust the Fifa president.
“Infantino co-ordinated an attempt to steal and gut football to line his own pockets. It’s imperative that this is not only stopped but never allowed to rear its ugly head again – starting with the removal of Infantino himself.”
 
80deg16minW said:
For the good of the game resoundingly triumphing over pure greed. Perhaps there is hope for the future of sport.
Click to expand...
Sadly, it's being said thatT rump is personally sending messages in support of the **** and intimating, that 'good things' can happen with the USA, if you do....

Clearly, Trumps' family has skin in the game to try so hard to protect him, and this isn't over until he is removed.
 

Mattias Grafstrom tells FIFA staff ‘individuals come and go’ in wake of ‘turmoil’ of Gianni Infantino plan​


Secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom has written to FIFA staff following Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors. Manan Vatsyayana / AFP via Getty Images
David Ornstein
Dan Sheldon
By David Ornstein and Dan Sheldon
Aug. 4, 2026 Updated 11:24 am GMT+1

FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom has told staff at world football’s governing body that “individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go” as pressure mounts on Gianni Infantino following his failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.
Grafstrom is second in rank only to Infantino at the organisation and was yet to comment on what has unfolded over the last week.
But in a letter sent to staff at FIFA on Tuesday morning, which has been seen by The Athletic, Grafstrom described the scrapped FFE plans as a “sad and reproachable series of events — which were thankfully concluded with the FFE project permanently abandoned”.
The Athletic has previously reported that Grafstrom was not aware of the FFE scheme, which had been drawn up by Infantino.



“The last week has been both extraordinary and challenging for all the members of FIFA staff in our offices around the world,” his internal memo to staff read. “This is why I wanted that you were the first ones to hear from me.
“We have all been thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept.
“I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience. You do not need to worry.
“Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue, and that is why we should always keep our professionalism, sense of perspective and composure.”

Although Grafstrom’s comments were sent internally, he joins Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, in criticising the plans drawn up by Infantino.
In a statement to the Associated Press last week, Lamour said staff at the organisation had been “deceived” and described FFE as “the project of one person”.
Infantino’s senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro also resigned last week due to his opposition to the plans.
Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager and current chief of global football development at FIFA, has revealed he found out about Infantino’s failed FFE proposal via the media and said the governing body’s withdrawal from it was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.
“The recent events at FIFA deserve some clarity from my side,” a statement from Wenger, shared by FIFA, read. “I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
UEFA, European football’s governing body, has called for Infantino to go, saying it has lost confidence in his leadership, while the English Football Association is set to follow the Football Association of Wales and withdraw their letter of support for Infantino’s re-election next year.
 

​

Gianni Infantino’s ‘lover’ was paid off by Uefa​


Revelation of six-figure leaving package for alleged lover will increase pressure on Fifa president

Tom Morgan Sports News Correspondent. Tim Röhn. Claire Newell Investigations Editor. Ben Rumsby. Eric Williams Published 07 August 2026 9:12pm BST


Gianni Infantino’s conduct is said to have caused major concerns among senior figures at Uefa


Uefa paid off an alleged lover of Gianni Infantino while he was its general secretary, The Telegraph can disclose.
The woman received a six-figure sum after the alleged relationship with Mr Infantino while he was a top official at European football’s governing body.
She is alleged to have been promoted by Mr Infantino during their relationship. After she left, the football body is said to have paid for her to do an MBA at a business school.
In a statement on Friday night, Uefa admitted that a payment had been made and that it was aware of the allegations the woman was in a relationship with Mr Infantino. It said it had since “tightened” its regulations to “reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation”.
The admission comes after an investigation by The Telegraph that uncovered major concerns among senior figures at Uefa over Mr Infantino’s conduct, which will add to the growing furore over his ongoing role as Fifa president.
He joined Uefa in 2000 and spent 16 years there before leaving to become head of the global governing body in February 2016.


It can now be revealed that the embattled Fifa president, who is married with four children, allegedly had a relationship with a junior employee while serving as general secretary of European football’s governing body.
The Telegraph has spoken to colleagues and senior figures who allege Mr Infantino ensured the woman left with a pay-off of at least six figures.
On Friday night, a Fifa spokesman said that there had never been any complaints by employees about Mr Infantino’s behaviour.
The spokesman said: “Fifa president Gianni Infantino strongly denies these allegations, and they are categorically untrue. Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory.
“No employee at Uefa and Fifa has ever raised a complaint regarding Mr Infantino’s behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved. All company actions related to employees, including any departure and severance packages, have always been approved by the appropriate directors in accordance with all applicable regulations.”
The alleged use of Uefa funds took place while Mr Infantino was its secretary, sources said, with the woman promoted to a management position while the alleged relationship was ongoing. He was challenged over the alleged affair by Michel Platini, Uefa’s then president, sources said, and it was agreed that she would leave with a pay-off.


Michel Platini, pictured, is said to have challenged Mr Infantino over the alleged affair Credit: Zakaria Abdelkafi/ AFP /Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty

Uefa, which is among the football bodies now calling for Mr Infantino to step down from Fifa, also paid for the woman to attend an MBA course at a business school that charged fees of about £45,000 a year as part of the deal.
The woman – whom The Telegraph has chosen not to name – was in an administrative position when their relationship began, but was subsequently promoted to a more lucrative managerial role, sources claim.
When she left, Mr Infantino allegedly used his connections to secure a new lucrative post for the woman, in a similar field.
He also secured her pay-off, diverting Uefa funds that could have been spent on grass-roots football, including in the UK.

Regulations tightened​

On Friday night, a Uefa spokesman confirmed the pay-off and insisted that the organisation had since changed to become more modern.
He said: “We are aware of the allegations and can confirm a departure payment was made to the individual in question, coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school. The payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time.
“Such regulations have been tightened since 2016 and the current staff regulations – which apply to all Uefa employees at whatever level – reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation.”
Mr Infantino is said to have promoted his alleged lover, giving her a pay rise of 30 per cent and a salary of about 160,000 Swiss francs (£147,000).
Her rapid rise is said to have prompted questions among colleagues, and concerns that he could be abusing his powerful position to advance her.
At the time he was responsible for a football empire overseeing the sport in 53 countries with revenues of about £1.2bn.
Mr Infantino met his wife, Leena Al Ashqar, through football. She worked for the Lebanese Football Federation. They married in 2001 and have four daughters.
It is unclear whether Ms Al Ashqar was aware of the alleged relationship. However, matters are said to have come to a head when Mr Platini learned about it.

During extensive inquiries, The Telegraph has spoken to multiple witnesses to the alleged liaison.
One well-placed source said: “He made a huge mistake and it almost cost him his career. People [within Uefa] were telling Platini, ‘You have to fire him’.”
Another insider added: “Platini challenged Gianni, saying something like ‘she or you?’ and Gianni said, ‘She will leave’, and she left.”
Multiple sources claim that Mr Platini told Mr Infantino that either he or the woman would have to leave.
cont below..
 

Cash for grass-roots football​

On its website, Uefa boasts that it spends money efficiently and ploughs the vast majority of its net earnings back into the development of football.
“By keeping overheads to a minimum, 97.5 per cent of our net earnings go back into the game,” it says, adding that it provides “unprecedented financial support for every level of the football pyramid in Europe”.
Uefa is funded by fans paying for European competitions and its finances are used for a range of projects, including developing women’s and girls’ football, tackling discrimination, social and environmental sustainability initiatives, player education, transitioning former players into new careers and major infrastructure projects, including new stadiums and academies.
The business of the alleged affair casts a new complexion on Mr Infantino’s subsequent rise to the very top of football as Fifa president.
When Mr Infantino joined Uefa in 2000 he was a lawyer and a relatively low-profile figure before working his way up through the ranks. Even after he secured the role of general secretary, he was known among Uefa staff for being the most approachable and down to earth of executives. He would readily attend parties with rank-and-file workers.
However, by the time the woman left Uefa, it appears that his ambition had been cemented. In 2016, when Mr Platini was ousted in a separate scandal, Mr Infantino was put forward as Uefa’s preferred candidate to become Fifa president.

According to one former colleague, he tended to take the approach that “the ends have always justified the means” – and was allegedly prepared to have tea with a notorious dictator of any leaning if it allowed him to build a football pitch.
Details of the alleged relationship come a week after the collapse of Mr Infantino’s financing scheme, which he announced nine days after the World Cup finished. It would have resulted in a group of investors controlling the commercial interests of Fifa’s top men’s and women’s competitions.
A revolt at Uefa, which voted 55-0 to boycott the next World Cup, helped defeat the plan. The governing body accused Fifa of trying to trade away football’s soul. The Concacaf nations in North and Central America followed Uefa’s lead in condemning the plan.
The Prime Minister, fans, politicians and regional governing bodies reacted with incredulity at the prospect of investors being given the chance to make money from the World Cup.
Fifa is a non-profit organisation which means that, theoretically, money made from the competition is reinvested into football.
Mr Infantino had already presided over a crisis-hit World Cup, which saw unprecedented ticket-price profiteering and the “suspended suspension” of Folarin Balogun, the US forward, after lobbying from Donald Trump.
However, Mr Infantino has told his inner circle he has no plans to quit, having met senior staff in Morocco this week and allegedly appealed to Mr Trump for support.
Mr Platini declined to comment when contacted by The Telegraph.
 
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