Gianni Infantino is still facing calls to leave FIFA despite withdrawing his controversial plan to bring private investors into the organisation’s leading competitions. According to The Associated Press’ report on Burnham’s intervention, the British prime minister believes Infantino is no longer the right person to lead world football. The political battle has therefore moved from stopping the proposal to determining who should be held responsible for it.

Burnham says the retreat came too late

Burnham had called for Infantino to resign before FIFA abandoned the project. As quoted by the Morning Star’s report, he said: “Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.” He added that the World Cup was not a product for FIFA to sell.

After the proposal was withdrawn, Burnham acknowledged that FIFA had made the correct decision. He nevertheless maintained that the plan should never have reached such an advanced stage. In his view, its development exposed a broader failure of judgment under Infantino.

What FIFA wanted to sell

FIFA Forward Enterprise was not a proposal to privatise FIFA in its entirety. According to AP’s account of the project’s collapse, FIFA intended to create a commercial subsidiary valued at approximately $20 billion and sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors. The transaction was expected to raise around $4.2 billion.

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The company would have controlled commercial and operational elements connected to competitions including the men’s and women’s World Cups. FIFA would have retained a majority stake, but external investors would have acquired a lasting financial interest in tournament revenues. Opponents argued that this could allow commercial interests to influence decisions about football’s most important competitions.

A boycott threat forced the U-turn

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation all opposed the proposal. UEFA’s 55 member associations threatened to boycott FIFA competitions while the project remained alive, placing its future under severe pressure. That threat ended when Infantino announced: “As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”

Resistance also emerged inside FIFA. Carlos Cordeiro resigned from his advisory role, while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour described FFE as “a project of one person.” As described by the Press Association report published by Perspective, UEFA called the proposed arrangement a “shabby, back room, opaque deal” and said no option should be excluded from the subsequent review.

The leadership battle continues

Infantino has confirmed that he intends to seek re-election in 2027. According to FIFA’s official announcement, he declared his candidacy at the organisation’s 2026 Congress in Vancouver. The election is scheduled to take place in Rabat in March 2027.

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Burnham has no formal role in the election, which will be decided by FIFA’s member associations. No official challenger has entered the race, and Infantino continues to receive support from several federations outside Europe. The investment plan is dead, but the argument over his presidency is not.

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