Fifa President Gianni Infantino is under unprecedented fire after regional confederations Uefa and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) said on Saturday they had lost confidence in his leadership following his abandoned plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights.

The dramatic fallout from Infantinoâs scrapped $4.2-billion proposal has exposed growing unease within world soccer over his leadership style, with European governing body Uefa leading a chorus of criticism that could complicate his re-election hopes.

Fifaâs proposal had triggered a fierce backlash from regional confederations who said they were blindsided by Infantinoâs plans to sell stakes to private investors in a new unit that would run Fifa events, including the World Cup.

Football officials are now demanding greater oversight of decisions that could reshape the governance and commercial future of the sport.

Uefa, whose 55 members had unanimously rejected the proposal last week, declared Fifaâs retreat a âvictory for the whole gameâ, adding that the âtask of rebuilding trust in Fifaâ had only just begun.

âThe current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefaâs confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,â Uefa said.

âUefa thanks all the fans, leagues, clubs, players, individuals, associations and confederations that opposed the scheme, alongside the many prime ministers, heads of state and commentators who have demonstrated to the Fifa president that football is not for sale.

âWe cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.â

Concacaf said the proposal had been advanced outside all established governance processes, with no transparency, consultation or due process.

âA proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first,â it said.

âThis recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative.â

âShabby, back-room, opaque dealâ

The backlash raised questions about Infantinoâs political capital as he prepares to seek another term in office.

Uefa reminded Infantino about the promises he made when he was elected Fifa president in 2016, including pledges to run the governing body transparently and to treat Fifaâs funds as belonging to its member associations.

âOn both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back-room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent,â Uefa added.

âAnd with reserves standing at over $5-billion, he has also failed to use associationsâ money for the benefit of the game.

âUefa will begin work immediately with partners and stakeholders all over the world and right across the game to propose a new way of distributing resources through the existing Fifa Forward programme.â

Fifa and Infantino declined to comment on Uefaâs statement.

The Dutch FA said the process led to a âfundamental breach of trustâ in Infantino, while German FA chief Bernd Neuendorf said the Swiss official âacted unilaterally and without transparencyâ, failing to operate in the sportâs best interests.

Spanish LaLiga president Javier Tebas called for Infantinoâs resignation, saying that the withdrawal of the proposal was good news but did not resolve the governance problem.

âThe problem was never just one proposal. The problem is a governance model that concentrates power, reduces checks and balances and marginalises those directly affected by its decisions,â he said on social media.

âI believe that Gianni Infantino should not continue in charge of Fifa. World football needs new leadership to modernise its governance, regain institutional credibility and make future decisions in consultation with those involved,â he added.

However, Infantino received support from Qatar, who said the proposal had merit and fully supported his efforts.

The president of the Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, also welcomed the decision to withdraw the proposal but reiterated his support for Infantino.

Storm of opposition

Infantinoâs plan, announced on 28 July, quickly ran into a storm of opposition from regional confederations, who complained they had not been consulted on a move that could alter the commercial structure of world football.

Following the backlash, Infantino said world soccerâs governing body had abandoned the plans after listening âcarefully to all the viewsâ.

Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa welcomed Fifaâs reversal on Saturday.

Bahrainâs Sheikh Salman said he expected that âany initiative that has the potential to impact global football will be presented and discussed with the confederations, the Fifa Council, member associations and other stakeholders in a timely, transparent and meaningful manner.

âThe future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game.â

Re-election?

The controversy comes at an awkward moment for Infantino, who said in April that he intended to seek re-election for a fourth term as Fifa president.

Since taking over from Sepp Blatter in 2016, he has been re-elected unopposed twice and appeared firmly in control of the organisation.

While his re-election for the 2027-31 term had appeared to be a formality, experts told Reuters the backlash against the failed proposal exposed dissatisfaction among some Fifa members and could complicate his path ahead of Marchâs congress in Morocco.

âHeâs obviously been kind of egomaniacal in everything that heâs done. I know that heâs rubbed many of the member associations the wrong way with some of his decisions,â Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst, said.

The speed of the turnaround has been particularly striking, coming less than two weeks after Infantino was toasting the most commercially successful World Cup in history.

âAs close as two weeks ago, heâs riding on top of the world, the most successful sports mega event in the history of this planet,â said economist Victor Matheson, a sports business expert at âthe College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

âAnd just two weeks later, heâs fighting for his political life.â

Infantinoâs hopes of extending his presidency may rest less on winning back soccerâs traditional powers than on calling in favours from the many small and emerging nations that rely heavily on the world governing bodyâs largesse.

He confirmed his intention to stand for a fourth term at next yearâs congress in April but the pressure on Infantino may not wait until the election.

On Monday, Wales became the first soccer federation to formally withdraw support for Infantino, while Uefa confirmed it had written to the 56-year-old to inform him it was weighing legal action against him regarding the proposal.

Opponents can mount a push to depose him with a vote at an extraordinary congress if 20% of Fifaâs membership of 211 member associations request one in writing.

An extraordinary congress would need to be held within three months of a request, providing time for rival candidates to emerge. Reuters/DM