Uefa says Infantino 'has lost Uefa's confidence' after Fifa scraps World Cup sell-off plan
Uefa has warned Gianni Infantino that he 'has lost Uefa's confidence' after Fifa abandoned plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions. The governing body's leadership issued a strongly worded demand for a thorough and fundamental review of Fifa's governance following what it described as secretive dealings.
The exchange followed an overnight U-turn by Fifa on 1 August 2026, when the organisation withdrew proposals to sell off portions of the World Cup and additional tournaments after widespread backlash. Uefa’s leadership responded with a statement that referenced 'secret schemes', 'shabby backroom deals' and 'faceless individuals' and made clear it wants change at the top of Fifa. The intervention signals a rare public rebuke from Europe’s governing body aimed at the world governing body’s leadership.
Infantino ditched the proposals after widespread backlash, and Uefa has called for a thorough and fundamental review of Fifa’s governance. In its response, Uefa argued that the approach taken in developing the proposals was unacceptable and that such measures could not be allowed to continue. The statement repeatedly criticised the manner in which the plan was advanced and framed the U-turn as insufficient without deeper institutional reform.
Uefa’s wording included a blunt line that 'We cannot keep going on with secret schemes', a phrase the organisation added as part of its public rebuke. That sentence was presented alongside the trio of expressions — 'secret schemes', 'shabby backroom deals' and 'faceless individuals' — used to describe how the proposals were developed and circulated. The leadership’s language underlined a concern not only with the content of the proposals but also with the process by which they were produced and handled.
The dispute exposes tensions between Fifa’s leadership and European member associations over transparency and decision-making. Uefa made clear it expects more openness and accountability from Fifa, arguing that the governance issues raised by the episode require comprehensive attention. The European body positioned its demand for change as a necessary corrective to what it portrayed as an unacceptable mode of operation at the world level.
The public clash follows the immediate reversal on the plan to monetise stakes in global competitions and leaves the question of governance reform at the centre of the conversation. Uefa’s demand for a 'thorough and fundamental review' frames the next steps as institutional rather than solely tactical, and the pressure now rests with Fifa’s leadership to respond to those calls for change.