The Dutch federation has publicly withdrawn its confidence in Infantino, and secretary general Gijs de Jong put the point in plain terms when he explained why the FIFA president would not be invited.
“We have lost our trust. He is not welcome at this meeting about the future. He is the past,” De Jong told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
The KNVB set out its position in a formal statement on Sunday, and it is not asking for a change of face at the top so much as a rebuild of the institution around it.
“We believe FIFA needs new leadership from 2027 onwards. But a new President alone is not enough. The way FIFA is governed must change as well.”
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De Jong stressed that the door to the Amsterdam summit is open beyond a European circle, telling NOS that “everyone open to a new FIFA is welcome” and that the discussion needs to move past the person of Infantino to the substance of what a reformed FIFA should look like.
Power concentrated around one desk
The KNVB’s central objection is structural. It argues too much authority sits with the president personally and too little with the Congress that is supposed to hold him accountable.
“We see too much power concentrated around the FIFA president and insufficient separation between the President and the FIFA administration.”
The Dutch reform paper lists three priorities, as reported by AFP: better governance with stronger checks and balances, human rights and sustainability at the centre of decision-making, and stronger international cooperation. It also proposes that up to 90 per cent of FIFA’s distributable revenue be reinvested in football development, and that the secretary-general run day-to-day operations while the president acts as the game’s global representative.
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The KNVB wants the Amsterdam summit to answer the “what kind of FIFA” question before any candidate steps forward for the presidency.
What tipped the trust over
The trigger was the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, a commercial subsidiary that would have sold about a 20 per cent stake in the unit running FIFA’s biggest events, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. The venture valued the entity at around $20bn and aimed to raise up to $4.2bn. Infantino scrapped the proposal on 31 July after a European revolt that included a UEFA vote to boycott FIFA competitions.
The Dutch federation says pulling the plan was necessary but did not close the wound.
“The process surrounding the now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was a turning point for us. Withdrawing the proposal was necessary, but it does not restore the trust that has been lost.”
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The Norwegian federation had already called for Infantino’s resignation earlier in the summer. UEFA, kept informed of the Dutch letter, declined to comment publicly on private correspondence but confirmed its working relationship with the KNVB. FIFA has not responded to media requests for comment on the KNVB statement.
Path to March 2027
Any move against Infantino runs through the FIFA Congress, where each of the 211 member associations casts its own ballot. Confederations can lobby and can recommend, but they cannot bind their members: the vote is one association, one voice.
Infantino is due to stand for what would be his fourth term. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has been named by reporters as a potential challenger, though no formal candidacy has been announced.
The presidential election is scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat. Anyone who wants to stand against Infantino must declare by 18 November.
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