FIFA boss Infantino’s position looks unacceptable: European Leagues head

Gianni Infantino's tenure as FIFA president faces serious scrutiny after his proposal to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights collapsed under intense opposition. Claudius Schafer, who leads an organization representing 53 professional football leagues across Europe, indicated on Sunday that Infantino's handling of the matter had become unacceptable. Schafer emphasized that FIFA's governing bodies, including the FIFA Council itself, were not consulted before the plan was advanced, describing the president's approach as acting entirely alone on a major business decision.

The failed privatization initiative sparked significant backlash from regional football confederations. UEFA and CONCACAF both announced on Saturday that they had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership. Infantino subsequently announced on Friday that FIFA had abandoned the plan in response to the widespread criticism.

Schafer's primary concern centered on FIFA's apparent prioritization of profit maximization for external parties over the sport's broader interests. He argued that the proposal would have necessitated additional matches in an already congested international calendar, ultimately harming national championship competitions. According to Schafer, the initiative demonstrated that financial considerations had eclipsed all other organizational objectives, with stakeholders kept entirely in the dark about strategic planning at the highest levels of world football's governing body.