Failed FIFA investment gamble leaves Infantino exposed after UEFA bombshell

Any hope Gianni Infantino had of emerging from the wreckage of his private World Cup investment plan with his reputation barely scarred disappeared on Saturday. FIFA confirmed the proposal was being withdrawn, but the real blow came when UEFA delivered a blistering rebuke. The governing body of European football announced it had "lost confidence" in his leadership, in one of the harshest statements ever directed at the president of world football. The words "shabby" and "secret schemes" needed no interpretation. The intervention capped four dramatic days that many inside football likened to the European Super League collapse of 2021. That project, a breakaway competition pushed by 12 of Europe's biggest clubs including six from the Premier League, was branded "pure greed" by Gary Neville and quickly unravelled. Infantino's plan did not carry a catchy name, and survived two days longer, but its consequences may prove far more lasting. FIFA's status as a not-for-profit organisation with reserves above $2bn and predicted record revenues of around $15bn from this summer's World Cup made the search for private money difficult to explain. So did the offer of an extra $40m to national associations that backed the proposals by 19 September. Many of FIFA's own senior figures, from vice-presidents to executives, were kept in the dark and never given the chance to ask questions. UEFA made its position unmistakable. It said the current FIFA leadership had failed to keep promises Infantino made when winning the presidency in 2016, when he told members FIFA's money belonged to them and would be used for development. "On both these promises, he has failed to deliver," UEFA added. Similar concerns came from Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation president and one of FIFA's vice-presidents, who urged that any future plans be presented in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner. Football Australia chair Anter Isaac said trust was earned through the integrity of processes, not just decisions. The episode inevitably brought back memories of the Super League. That proposal would have allowed 12 clubs to stay in their domestic leagues while forming a rival to the Champions League. Fans drew the line, with support from the Premier League, the Football Association and Prince William. Critics saw it as a closed shop designed to enrich the clubs involved. Infantino's plan has now collapsed in a similar fashion, but the political scars from the last four days are likely to shape FIFA's future.