European Leagues chief declares Infantino has 'no future at Fifa' amid calls for reform

Gianni Infantino has no future as Fifa president, European Leagues chief Claudius Schaefer declared in an interview with The Athletic published on Wednesday, calling for sweeping structural reform at global football’s governing body.

Schaefer, whose organisation represents 53 professional men’s and women’s football competitions across Europe, said he questions Infantino’s suitability to remain in office. “Here in Switzerland, we’ve had a close view of Fifa and it seems that the influence of the president has grown from year to year,” he said. “Major decisions are taken without meaningful consultation with stakeholders who will be affected.”

The remarks arrive amid mounting pressure on Infantino from three major confederations — Uefa, Asia’s AFC, and Concacaf — all of whom have demanded he step down. Those bodies have also held discussions over a potential vote of no confidence against the Fifa chief.

Schaefer pointed to two specific incidents as evidence of a governance breakdown. The first was the inaugural Fifa peace prize awarded to US president Donald Trump in December, a decision taken, Schaefer alleged, without informing the Fifa council. The second was the overturning of a red card issued to American forward Folarin Balogun during this year’s World Cup, following a call from Trump.

“If you take such a decision, without even informing the council, that, in my view, is a breach of law,” Schaefer said. “And then, during the World Cup we all know about the red card issue. It was a real scandal. I can’t ever recall a political intervention of this kind relating to a sporting matter. Such acts call the integrity of the game into question. That’s why there is no future at Fifa for Infantino. There can’t be.”

The friction between Fifa and its regional confederations was further inflamed by the governing body’s now-scrapped plan to sell off a portion of the World Cup’s commercial rights, a proposal that drew fierce opposition from leagues and clubs across the world.

Despite the pressure, Infantino is reported to intend to seek re-election for a fourth term next year. Schaefer, however, argued that replacing the individual was secondary to reforming the institution itself. “For us, getting these reforms is the most important task and they can only happen with another president,” he said.

Fifa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.