UEFA opens formal assault on FIFA leadership after Monaco meeting

UEFA has authorised its president and administration to pursue institutional, political and legal action against FIFA’s leadership, after European football representatives said confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino had been seriously damaged.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting in Monaco held during the draw for the 2026-27 European club competitions. National association representatives serving on the UEFA Executive Committee, European members of the FIFA Council and presidents of UEFA’s national associations who were in the principality attended the meeting to discuss the continuing crisis at world football’s governing body.

The gathering examined the fallout from Infantino’s failed attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to external investors. A statement issued after the meeting described the plan as evidence of “a profound failure of judgement, an abuse of presidential authority, and a concept of leadership incompatible with the duties of the highest office in world football”.

Those present unanimously backed a mandate for the UEFA president and administration to use every available institutional, political and legal route to secure “fundamental reform, the reimposition of appropriate limits on presidential power, and a guarantee that FIFA is once again run as an integrated institution, rather than through one individual”.

As an immediate and non-negotiable step, the statement called for “a genuinely independent external review of the FIFA Forward institution, with full access to all relevant documents, correspondence and decision-making records”.

It added: “FIFA cannot investigate itself and simply expect the football community to accept its findings.”

The statement went beyond concerns about governance and said trust in Infantino personally had broken down.

“The trust required to hold the office of FIFA president has been shaken and cannot be restored by withdrawing a single proposal, issuing assurances, or promising reform after the fact. The football world now needs new leadership capable of rebuilding that trust,” it said.

UEFA also issued its strongest warning since Infantino became FIFA president. It said: “If the current FIFA president seeks another term, UEFA will work with partner confederations to ensure that the member associations are offered a credible alternative, an alternative committed to integrity, accountability, development and genuine institutional change.”

The European body also questioned FIFA’s argument that external investors were needed to increase development funding. The statement pointed out that FIFA “currently has billions of dollars in reserves, money that belongs to the member associations”.

UEFA said it would discuss with the other continental confederations “the possibility of responsibly releasing part of FIFA’s reserves for the benefit of the member associations, while ensuring that financial stability is preserved”.

It asked: “Why did the FIFA president believe external investors were needed to expand development funding?”

UEFA said it had received written confirmation from FIFA that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project had been “withdrawn finally and irrevocably, and that it will not reappear in any other form, structure, name or format”.

That confirmation was obtained on 30 July. Following consultations with the national associations, UEFA agreed temporarily to suspend plans for European national teams to withdraw from FIFA competitions next season.

The competitions covered by that decision include the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

UEFA stressed that the position would remain under continuous review. It said the decision could be reconsidered immediately if circumstances required it.