Infantino under fire: how FIFA's embattled president could be removed

Twenty-four hours can reshape football's power structure. On Tuesday morning, Gianni Infantino looked untouchable as FIFA president. But a behind-the-scenes plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors - apparently without keeping anyone else informed - has turned his position fragile. UEFA, his sharpest critic in European football, threatened on Thursday to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. Concacaf, the confederation that worked closely with Infantino on the 2026 World Cup, called for a full review of FIFA's leadership. The Asian Football Confederation, usually a reliable block of support, also kept its distance. Infantino then lost two close allies, senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour. After he reversed course in the early hours of Saturday, UEFA said it had lost confidence in him. Getting rid of him is complicated. Infantino could resign, as Sepp Blatter did in 2015, but he still has backing and may try to hold on until March, when he is expected to stand for a fourth and final term. The FIFA Council could also force an emergency meeting if 19 of its 37 members request one, though there are doubts the votes are there. If that meeting happened, it could urge Infantino to resign, but he could refuse. The next escalation would be an extraordinary congress of the 211 member associations, requiring a written request from 43 of them. UEFA alone has 55 members, so it could call for that. Yet a no-confidence vote would need 106 votes, and the process would take at least two months, likely three. Rejecting the investment plan is not the same as rejecting the president: 136 countries opposed the plan, but Qatar has already publicly backed Infantino, and Mexico has distanced itself from Concacaf's statement. Should the fight go to the ballot box, anyone wanting to challenge Infantino must declare by 18 November. He was unopposed in 2019 and 2023, which makes finding a credible rival even more important. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is an obvious possibility. A former president of Canada Soccer and a key figure in the 2026 World Cup build-up, he speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish. Whether he has the appetite to take on Infantino - and whether the world would unite behind him - remains to be seen.