Infantino "has no future at FIFA", warns European Leagues president

Claudius Schäfer, president of European Leagues, declared on Wednesday that Gianni Infantino “has no future at FIFA”, calling for a complete overhaul of the governance of the global governing body seven months ahead of the next presidential election.

In an interview with The Athletic, Schäfer stated that European Leagues — which represents 53 professional men’s and women’s leagues — were “deeply concerned” about the trajectory taken by the Italian-Swiss executive. “We are questioning his fitness to continue his mandate as president. Here in Switzerland, we have been able to observe FIFA closely and it appears that the president’s influence has increased year after year,” he said.

Schäfer also invoked the Swiss legal framework to which FIFA is subject as an association. “The president and board members must exercise their duties with diligence. It is a legal matter,” he recalled, citing two controversial episodes: the awarding of a peace prize without prior consultation of the board, and the red card incident that occurred during the last World Cup.

This position is part of a growing backlash since Infantino considered opening FIFA to private investors — a project ultimately abandoned. The presidents of UEFA, AFC and Concacaf, as well as several national federations in Hungary, Denmark, England, Sweden and Serbia, have already signaled they will no longer support his candidacy.

For Schäfer, the issue goes beyond the succession question alone. “For us, obtaining these reforms is the most important task, and they can only happen with another president,” he concluded. FIFA had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.