Gianni Infantino faces FIFA revolt as furious colleagues demand he quits over ‘shabby’ World Cup sell-off deal

SHAMED Gianni Infantino was clinging to power last night as it emerged Fifa is expected to hold an emergency meeting to oust him over his plan to sell off the World Cup. The £4.3 million-a-year boss is likely to be asked to step down at a council meeting after he finally bowed to pressure and axed his “shabby, backroom deal”. Gianni Infantino was clinging to power as it emerged Fifa is expected to hold an emergency meeting to oust him over his plan to sell off the World Cup Credit: Getty The shamed £4.3m-a-year boss is likely to be asked to step down at a council meeting after he finally bowed to pressure and axed his ‘shabby, backroom deal’ Credit: AP And if he refuses to resign, then another candidate with the backing of his opponents would be put up to challenge him in next year’s spring presidential election. One senior football source told The Sunday Times: “Infantino had it all and his reckless greed means he has now lost it. He’s an embarrassment and he’s not a lame duck, but a dead duck.” Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The wave of negative publicity around the disgraced fatcat’s plan to flog off stakes in the World Cup to private investors has reportedly seen sponsors contacting Fifa in panic. And even bank JP Morgan, which was heavily involved in the project, allegedly wants out. Fifa was reportedly already planning to force an extraordinary general meeting before Infantino’s £15 billion “secret scheme” emerged last week. Council members are said to have demanded an independent review into the tycoon’s unprecedented decision to lift US star Folarin Balogun’s red card during the World Cup after taking calls from Donald Trump. The assembly could now develop into a full blown leadership challenge. It is also possible that 41 of Fifa’s 211 member nations could call an emergency congress and stage a vote of no confidence in the shamed leader. Most read in Sport Potential challengers for the top job include current Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, Asian football chief Sheikh Salman, or Paris Saint-Germain boss Nasser Al Khelaifi. Sources close to Montagliani believe he may already have 96 votes – from UEFA and Concacaf – if he challenges Infantino. The Swiss’ plans, which involved selling 20 per cent of a new World Cup operating company to an investment firm owned by the younger brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, sparked international outrage. Furious football chiefs and politicians have called for him to fall on his sword. Infantino and Donald Trump hold the coveted cup Credit: Getty US star Folarin Balogun’s red card during the World Cup was lifted after Trump called Infantino Credit: Reuters European football’s governing body Uefa accused the magnate of trying to “sell off the family silver”. It said his “shabby, backroom deal” had “lost Uefa’s confidence” and that of the wider football family. The North and Central American Football Association Concacaf said he had “stopped putting football first” and called for a “comprehensive reckoning with this presidency”. And on Saturday evening, Javier Tebas, president of Spain’s LaLiga, declared Infantino’s “time is up” and demanded that “world football needs new leadership”. England great Peter Reid, 70, also joined calls for the Fifa chief to step down. The Everton legend told The Sunday Mirror: “Infantino’s position is untenable now, people have lost faith in him…Private investors in football – that is just wrong. “Fifa has hundreds of millions already, they should be putting more money into grassroots. That is where the money should go, instead of getting into bed with private investors.” Infantino has so far only received backing from the associations of Qatar, Morocco and Lebanon. Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup and Morocco is vying to host the final in 2030. Peter Reid said: ‘Infantino’s position is untenable now, people have lost faith in him…Private investors in football – that is just wrong’ Credit: Alamy The Spanish team celebrate winning the World Cup in 2026 Credit: Getty The Fifa president’s u-turn in the early hours of Saturday morning came after his right-hand man Carlos Coderio quit in disgust and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour announced staff had been “deceived”. But he refused to give in to mounting pressure to resign, insisting that his intent in the coming days is “to bring all interested parties back together…in the spirit of shared interest in our game”. Comment now