Infantino faces growing pressure despite CAF, CONMEBOL support

Harry Archie August 8, 2026

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing growing pressure to resign despite receiving support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and several South American football leaders.

Infantino has come under heavy criticism for more than a week over FIFA’s now-shelved plan to allow private investment in a new commercial company that would run major events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

FIFA had said the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a $20 billion valuation.

UEFA, where Infantino served as secretary-general from 2009 to 2016, has strongly opposed him and said it no longer has confidence in his leadership. It has also repeated its threat to boycott the World Cup.

On Friday, the Norwegian Football Federation joined the calls for Infantino to resign.

“We are going to ask the FIFA president to resign now,” Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness said.

Infantino is expected to ignore the call and continue his campaign for a fourth and final term as FIFA president. The election is scheduled for March next year in Rabat, Morocco, and he is currently the only declared candidate.

Klaveness has been mentioned as a possible successor and could become the first woman to lead FIFA. However, she said her call for Infantino’s resignation was not motivated by personal ambition.

“We’re not there yet,” she said, adding that the focus should be on the issues facing football rather than individual ambitions.

Infantino has also faced criticism from CONCACAF, whose president Victor Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible challenger. However, CONCACAF has not made any new public statement since FIFA’s leadership reaffirmed its support for Infantino.

The Asian Football Confederation has also criticised how the private investment plan was handled but has remained quiet since FIFA’s latest statement.

Meanwhile, Infantino has received strong backing from several football associations.

CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez said football leaders should recognise the work Infantino has done and continue to work through dialogue.

Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and Mexico have also expressed support for the FIFA president.

CAF’s executive committee unanimously reaffirmed its support for Infantino on Thursday.

South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie welcomed the decision and called on African football to resist what he described as a “public lynching” of Infantino.