Čeferin and Al-Khelaïfi intensify pressure on FIFA President Infantino

The battle against FIFA president Gianni Infantino has entered a new phase, with UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin now seeking to persuade Nasser Al-Khelaïfi to join efforts aimed at weakening Infantino’s position.

The abrupt withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project has failed to end the crisis surrounding Infantino.

Instead, the FIFA president now faces the most significant opposition since taking office.

Infantino’s plan to establish a new commercial company, reportedly valued at nearly $20 billion, by selling a minority stake to private investors, triggered widespread controversy.

The project was presented as a way to generate additional funding for national football associations through an expanded development programme.

However, many critics viewed it as an attempt to turn FIFA’s biggest competitions into financial assets.

Reports that FIFA had held discussions with JP Morgan and Thrive Eternal, coupled with alleged links to individuals close to former U.S. President Donald Trump, further fuelled concerns.

Under mounting pressure from several continental confederations and numerous national football associations, FIFA eventually withdrew the proposal. Nevertheless, the political fallout has been substantial.

The controversy has enabled UEFA to emerge as the leading force behind growing global opposition to Infantino.

Čeferin has repeatedly criticised what he describes as a lack of transparency in FIFA’s governance and accused the organisation of developing the project without meaningful consultation with football stakeholders.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Concacaf, FIFPRO Europe, the European Club Association (ECA), several governments and a number of European officials have also voiced concerns.

At the same time, some national associations have reportedly begun withdrawing their support for Infantino.

UEFA has also issued a formal notice demanding that FIFA preserve all documents related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project in anticipation of possible legal action.

For many European football leaders, the issue has now gone beyond the abandoned commercial proposal.

They believe the debate is now about Infantino’s future as FIFA president and the need to rebuild the organisation with a governance model that is more transparent and based on collective decision-making.

Čeferin is expected to intensify those efforts during a highly anticipated meeting with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi on the sidelines of the UEFA Super Cup on August 12.

One of the main topics of discussion will reportedly be the role of the European Football Clubs (EFC), chaired by Al-Khelaïfi.

The organisation, which represents more than 850 clubs, could be encouraged to suspend cooperation with FIFA over the Club World Cup while Infantino remains in office.

UEFA wants the EFC, which is due to meet in Copenhagen in September, to adopt a much firmer stance as uncertainty continues to surround the proposed 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

According to the report, no host country has yet been selected, the tournament’s financial model remains unclear, several payments promised to clubs following the 2025 edition have still not been made, and no new agreement has been reached between FIFA and the EFC.

A boycott of the competition would represent a significant setback for Infantino, as the expanded Club World Cup is regarded as a cornerstone of his commercial strategy.

Beyond the Club World Cup issue, Čeferin is also said to be preparing for a future leadership transition at FIFA.

Several European football associations are reportedly open to supporting a potential FIFA presidential bid by Al-Khelaïfi, although sources close to the Paris Saint-Germain president insist that he has ‘No ambition’ to seek the role.

Nevertheless, Čeferin is reportedly hoping to persuade his ally either to stand as a candidate or to back a single challenger capable of uniting the global opposition.

Another name being discussed is Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, who is viewed by some as a credible alternative to Infantino.

Football officials are also considering broader governance reforms that would reduce the powers of the FIFA president and strengthen the role of vice-presidents representing the different continental confederations, with the aim of creating greater checks and balances within world football's governing body.

According to the report, Čeferin hopes that by the time he meets Al-Khelaïfi in Munich, the political momentum against Infantino will be strong enough to accelerate the end of his presidency—or even persuade him not to seek another term.