FIFA World Cup plot LIVE: Furious chiefs hit out at Gianni Infantino's 'blackmail' ploy with his presidency on the brink

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By WILL PICKWORTH, SPORTS REPORTER and BOBBY MANZI, FOOTBALL REPORTER

Updated:

Follow all the latest on FIFA's controversial World Cup plot - with more nations publicly opposing Gianni Infantino's scheme, while his right-hand man has resigned in protest.

Breaking:Burnham tells Infantino to resign

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has weighed in on the saga, urging Gianni Infantino to resign over his controversial World Cup plans.

This was an outrageous suggestion. The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, that the Fifa (president) is the wrong man to lead the organisation.

Paddy Power poke fun at FIFA

Paddy Power have now put the boot in on FIFA amid all the fallout and controversy over their jaw-dropping private investment plans for the World Cup.

In a dig at FIFA's alleged desperation to bring in outside investment, the bookmaker put up a mischievous 'For Sale' sign outside FIFA HQ in Switzerland.

A message on the sign read: 'To anyone – anyone – with money, power and a willingness to endure Gianni’s small talk.'

Norwegian FA hit out at FIFA and Infantino

Norway's Football Federation aren't afraid to speak out against FIFA and Gianni Infantino, with president Lise Klaveness recently revealing how they planned to launch a formal complaint to the governing body over Donald Trump's influence on the Folarin Balogun saga at the World Cup.

And Klaveness has now hit out at the seriousness of the latest proposals, and lambasted Infantino for his handling of the situation.

This is a very serious situation for Norwegian and international football. It is very dramatic. Everyone who spoke said it was unacceptable. The word ‘blackmail’ was used. Not by us, but by others.

Bringing external owners into football’s core business is an alien element, and it should remain an alien element.We had heard nothing about this; it turned out that very few had. This created major friction, with a huge volume of calls and movement across the whole football world.”

He (Ceferin) showed refreshingly clear leadership and was firm that enough is enough, that this is not a democratic process, that this is not a project we want, and that football should be owned by its members and run democratically.

On Infantino she added:

My clear impression now is that he has lost a great deal of trust.

We did not vote for him last time, and we have been sceptical about this. There is a lot that is good about FIFA but if you take a casual approach to governance principles and rules, you quickly lose trust.

FIFA vs UEFA

UEFA have made their position clear - they will not support Gianni Infantino and have even threatened the nuclear option of boycotting the World Cup.

It continues a trend of Europe's governing body clashing with FIFA, with several flashpoints emerging between their president Aleksander Ceferin and Infantino in recent years.

The introduction of the Club World Cup is something that originally infuriated UEFA, while they have been quick to criticise various actions of FIFA and Ceferin even boycotted the World Cup final.

That came after relations deteriorated significantly at FIFA's annual Congress in May 2025 when Infantino arrived more than two hours late after accompanying US President Donald Trump on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East.

During a break, Ceferin led a walkout before UEFA accused the FIFA president of putting "private political interests" ahead of football's governance. He boycotted the following year.

Analysis: How does this play out?

The hope is that Gianni Infantino will jump before he is pushed any further, scrap the plans and announce his resignation as FIFA president. But one would expect the strong-willed Swiss football administrator to cling to power for as long as he possibly can.

There is not only an ever-growing number of nations opposing his proposal to raise £3.1billion in private investment, but also his presidency. Concacaf nations are understood to be losing faith - or having already lost confidence - in the FIFA president.

FIFA have 211 member nations, meaning 106 signatories are required to block or approve any changes to their statutes. 135 nations have voiced opposition to Infantino’s plans - he does not have the votes.

Should Infantino press ahead or abandon the plans but try to remain FIFA’s kingpin, discontented nations could convene an emergency FIFA congress to initiate a vote of no confidence. Only 20 per cent of FIFA members are required to trigger a vote, meaning support from all of UEFA’s members or CONCACAF’s 46 FIFA-registered nations would be sufficient.

Sources have suggested that Norway have floated an emergency congress while all options remain on the table for UEFA nations.

However, if an emergency congress is not convened, the next opportunity to remove Infantino will come at March's election, where he is expected to seek a fourth term as FIFA president - although his chances appear slim.

No candidate has declared an intention to challenge Infantino. The African, South American and Asian confederations have publicly backed his re-election bid, giving him the 106 votes required. The Asian confederation, though, have since opposed his plans to sell stakes in the World Cup - a rift that could prove fatal.

What are FIFA's plans?

It was on Tuesday when reports broke that FIFA have set the wheels in motion on a radical plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

FIFA - and Infantino - want to set up a subsidiary to control the operational delivery of tournaments and their commercial interests – such as ticketing and TV rights.

They hope to raise over £3billion from investors for the project, with investment bank J.P. Morgan advising world football’s governing body.

American venture capitalist firm Thrive, of which Joshua Kushner – brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared – is CEO, are expected to lead the proposed investor group.

Despite FIFA maintaining that outside investors will not play any operational role, there are grave concerns that investor interest will increase the frequency of tournaments – such as the Club World Cup and World Cup – to help maximise the return on investment.

Football associations are being incentivised to support the proposition with the promise of £15million in additional revenue.

How Infantino became drunk on power

Amid all the chaos and fallout from Gianni Infantino's plans, you must read this brilliant piece from Daily Mail Sport's RIATH AL-SAMARRAI on the FIFA president's development over his tenure.

Remember, Infantino came in to the role in 2016 to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter following several scandals at football's governing body.

Asia's damning words for Infantino

Here's a section of the statement that the AFC released when sharing their position on the controversial World Cup proposals...

The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA's proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA's flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE.

The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position.

Infantino's AFC blow

After crisis talks, both UEFA and CONCACAF came out in opposition to Infantino's plans on Thursday, with the former even insisting they would boycott all FIFA tournaments.

And things were to get worse for the FIFA president when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also publicly criticised them on Friday.

This means that 136 FIFA members are now against the proposals, bringing the dissidents above the required 106 threshold to block the plans.

Cordeiro continues his attack on FIFA's plans

Most troubling of all is the absence of answers to fundamental questions. Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits? Was there a competitive process? What governance will be in place? What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football? These questions remain largely unanswered, and yet Member Associations are being asked to make a decision of enormous consequence in barely 50 days or risk being left behind. That is not a responsible way to determine the future of the world's game.

This proposal has become a defining question for FIFA’s future. After careful consideration, I can no longer continue in my role as Senior Advisor to the FIFA President. I have therefore resigned with immediate effect. FIFA's responsibility is not to maximise commercial returns at any cost. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations. When those principles come into conflict, football must come first.

It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve FIFA for more than five years and to work alongside dedicated, principled people who care deeply about the game. I hope they, too, will speak up, because decisions of this magnitude should be made in the interests of football, not those who stand to profit from it.

A hard-hitting statement from Cordeiro (part 1)

As a Senior Advisor to the FIFA President, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup. Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally. It is a bad deal for FIFA's Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.

Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away. That is why this proposal should be rejected.

FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organisation sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt. The FIFA President himself has highlighted the $15 billion in revenue generated between 2022 and 2026. If Member Associations believe additional investment is needed to develop the game, FIFA already has the financial capacity to provide that support from its existing resources. Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football's most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense. It is mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification.

Such economic success was not accidental. It was delivered by experienced football professionals who shattered FIFA's commercial records. Yet despite those achievements, FIFA is now being asked to believe that outside investors are needed to unlock greater value. I do not accept that proposition. The people who built this success have already demonstrated that FIFA possesses the expertise to continue growing both the game and its commercial future.

Who has resigned?

Following the backlash to the plans that Gianni Infantino announced (more on those later), we've been hit with one of the most significant bits of news this morning.

That came when Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, quit his role in protest over the proposal.

Cordeiro, a retired American investment banker, released a withering statement attacking the plans and his resignation heaps significant pressure on his former boss.

Below, Cordeiro (right) is pictured alongside Donald Trump, Infantino and Marco Rubio.