Gianni Infantino support tracker: Who is for and against FIFA president and what he needs to retain power

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As the fallout from the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise plan continues to shape the immediate future of global soccer governance, FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces a critical period of his tenure.

With opposition to his leadership growing by the day, Infantino's position in charge of the Switzerland-based non-profit has shifted from rock-solid to wobbly nearly overnight. Outrage has poured in from across the globe at Infantino's push to offer stakes in the sport's biggest events to private investment, poking holes in what appeared to be only weeks ago unilaterally unwavering support from across both FIFA leadership and membership.

A report by Sky Sports on August 4 claimed that Infantino would convene a "crisis meeting" with both supporters and critics within FIFA's senior staff to take stock of the situation, set to take place in Morocco on the following day.

As Infantino's most ardent supporter base looks to consolidate power, his most vocal critics are on the warpath to dismantle his ability to helm FIFA moving forward and erode confidence in his leadership base.

The Sporting News looks at who at this moment has voiced support for Infantino's continued position of power, and who has been vocal in their opposition of the Swiss native's ability to remain in charge.

MORE: Candidates to replace Gianni Infantino if FIFA president is pushed out

Who supports Gianni Infantino?

CAF nations, Qatar offer backing

The list of individual countries and international confederations to have come out in unequivocal support of Infantino has been quite small since the FIFA Forward Enterprise controversy bubbled over.

Most of Infantino's support has simmered in the background. He is likely to have unwavering support from African confederation CAF, an organisation that has routinely backed FIFA presidents with a willingness to spread the wealth across the developing world.

Infantino has also garnered support from certain pockets of the Asian confederation, most notably the Qatari FA who released a statement backing the current FIFA president, claiming the FFE plan "had merit" but applauding its withdrawal "in the interest of the global football community." That statement was interesting given that prominent Qatari businessman Nasser Al Khelaifi, the current president of Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, reportedly did not agree with the sentiment, according to a report by Ben Jacobs of GiveMeSport.

Others who have publicly backed Infantino in recent days include UAE, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt, and Morocco.

CONMEBOL hedge its bets

While it did not explicitly express support for Infantino, CONMEBOL released the softest statement of any confederation that spoke publicly on the situation. The South American confederation has developed a closer relationship with Infantino in recent years, as president Alejandro Dominguez has pushed for expansion of the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, hoping to stage more matches on South American soil before the tournament moves to main hosts Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

Instead of following the aggression displayed by UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC in the immediate wake of the FFE scandal, CONMEBOL's statement made certain verbal concessions that hinted at consideration of the plan.

For example, the statement admitted that "we understand that the development of football requires commercial and financial decisions." While other confederations flatly rejected the FFE proposal, CONMEBOL said it had "requested additional information and clarifications" about the plan, while internally initiating "a consultation process with its Member Associations and convened a meeting of its Council for the sole purpose of analyzing and evaluating the proposal with the responsibility and rigor that the subject demands."

To further this, on August 6 CONMEBOL released another statement, one which similarly said little of tangible value but seemed to show reluctant support for Infantino moving forward.

"The CONMEBOL Council, meeting today, welcomes FIFA's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal," the statement read. "It unanimously expresses its concern about the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or the institutional mechanisms provided for dealing with this type of situation."

However, the pivot to support comes slightly later. "Those responsible for leading our organizations must always prioritize dialogue, respect for the rules, and constructive exchange," the statement says. "When these principles are disregarded, football loses, and we all lose.

"The deadline for submitting nominations for the FIFA Presidency is November 18, 2026, and subsequently, the FIFA Congress will elect, through the vote of its 211 Member Associations, the person who will be responsible for leading the organization during the next period, including the organization of the FIFA Centenary World Cup 2030.

"Consequently, CONMEBOL will not support any action or procedure that ignores or deviates from these institutional mechanisms."

Essentially, CONMEBOL have called out those who have looked to depose Infantino, pledging to review his presidency only once the proper election rolls around, instead of backing any push to force his resignation.

Infantino reportedly asks Morocco for support

According to a report by Martyn Ziegler of The Times on August 5, Gianni Infantino has dangled a carrot in front of Morocco in exchange for the country's public support in his hour of need.

The report states that Infantino offered the 2030 FIFA World Cup co-host the World Cup final if they could come out with a statement backing the current president in his endeavor to remain in charge.

FIFA have denied this report, claiming "it is false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the World Cup 2030 final." However, Ben Jacobs of talkSPORT confirmed that Moroccan officials have indeed staged discussions over potentially playing the final in Casablanca.

Morocco are set to host the 2030 tournament alongside Spain and Portugal. Only days before, a report from Spanish publication Defensa Central stated that Spain are pushing hard for Real Madrid's home, the Santiago Bernabeu, to host the 2030 final.

Infantino consolidates power from within

On August 5, Gianni Infantino held a meeting with FIFA executives in Rabat, Morocco to hash out their differences at the top of the organisation.

It appears to have worked. A pro-European faction had reportedly developed, within FIFA as Swedish secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, once part of Infantino's innermost circle, has spoken out against the president. In the aftermath of the FFE withdrawal, Grafstrom wrote in an internal email shared with media that the "sad and reproachable series of events" has caused FIFA executives to be "thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept."

However, after the meeting in Rabat, Grafstrom was interestingly included on FIFA's official letter summarising the events of the conference, in which he and Infantino apologised for the FFE proposal's disastrous rollout and vowed to learn from their mistakes.

"We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise," the letter, signed by both Infantino and Grafstrom, wrote. "It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and the FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and it should have been handled differently. We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media."

The fact that Infantino and Grafstrom were both united in this release indicates that the FIFA president has brought to heel a potential challenger and pot-stirrer, bringing the Swedish-born executive back to his side.

Who has come out against Gianni Infantino?

UEFA leads the charge

While the outspoken support for Infantino's position of leadership has been sparse, the coalition of voices in opposition to his continued presidency has grown exponentially over the last few weeks.

In the immediate aftermath of the FFE plan being revealed, it seems that the number of Infantino's opposition grows larger every single day.

The European confederation, or UEFA, has been by far the most vocal critic of Infantino's. Led by Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA has been cold to Infantino's position over the entirety of his latest presidential term, but in recent weeks it has been further emboldened to speak out, issuing repeated statements of opposition that have left, in no uncertain terms, its position against the current FIFA president clear. UEFA even asked its 55 member nations to issue letters of opposition to Infantino, withdrawing previous statements of support.

France were one of many UEFA nations to come out with an aggressive call for change. In a statement to French freelance journalist Raphael Jucobin, the FFF said they believe "its current governance is no longer commensurate with the responsibilities and challenges facing world football's governing body," calling for FIFA to undertake a "profound transformation of its governance." FFF president Philippe Diallo said that "FIFA must uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and [we] believe this is no longer sufficiently the case today."

CONCACAF official considers challenge

Alongside that, a new faction from within have risen up against Infantino.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, who, according to multiple recent reports, has begun to position himself for his own presidential challenge in March and therefore has taken the opportunity to consolidate the North American confederation against the incumbent.

CONCACAF released a statement rejecting the FFE proposal, or at least the way in which it had been put forward, saying that it "expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process."

AFC anger

While not as aggressive as the UEFA or CONCACAF opposition, the Asian confederation also came out strongly against Infantino after the FFE plan was first revealed. The AFC statement expressed "disappointment that a matter of such significance entered the public domain before the AFC family had been afforded the opportunity to examine and discuss it through the appropriate and established governance channels."

A further statement by the AFC after the FFE plan was withdrawn was more severe in tone, saying that "this moment must become a catalyst for strengthening institutional reform," an emphatic push towards change from within. Even as the confederation appeared somewhat fractured, as some Asian nations broke from the bloc and backed Infantino, it would appear the majority of the confederation has about-faced.

Jordan FA chief makes extraordinary claims

On August 4, another outspoken voice appeared as the president of the FA in Jordan alleged the country's governing body was still awaiting outstanding payments from FIFA competitions.

In a post on social media, Ali Bin Al Hussein also claimed they had been unexpectedly taxed by the U.S. government due to being based in the country during the World Cup.

"It is clear the problem really is with leadership," Al Hussein wrote. "For months, FIFA has been refusing to help us on any of these or other matters — until it was verbally communicated to me during the World Cup that if I endorsed Infantino it would go a long way to helping our FA out."

Luis Figo eviscerates Infantino

On August 5, Real Madrid and Portugal legend Luis Figo called for Infantino's resignation, increasing pressure on the FIFA president from the European contingent. "Infantino has debased the office that he promised to elevate," Figo wrote on social media. "He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve."

Saudi Arabia yet to comment

According to Martyn Ziegler's report on August 5, Saudi Arabia have yet to comment on Gianni Infantino's position as FIFA president, something which has worried the head man as the country is usually one to quickly take his side.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Infantino has reason to worry. Jacobs says that no official position has been given as to where Saudi Arabia stand because they are soon to elect a new FA president later this month, after Yasser Al-Misehal stepped down following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Jacobs says that no official position will be given until the election is concluded, but he also reports that officials indicated anonymously to he and talkSPORT that Saudi Arabia's stance is "opposed to Gianni Infantino standing again" although that may not be made official until after their late-August election.

MORE: Detailing the tense and cold relationship between UEFA and FIFA over the last decade

What does Gianni Infantino need to remain as FIFA president?

There are two hurdles for Infantino to clear before he can establish himself as the continued long-term head of FIFA.

First, the 56-year-old must survive the short-term crisis that has been presented by the FFE fallout. Amidst all the calls to resign, the questions about his leadership, and the noise regarding the fracture within the organisation's structure, Infantino must remain on course to continue as head of the global governing body.

Most notably, Infantino must avoid a play by UEFA and others to trigger a vote of no confidence. Should that occur, it's likely that his critics have grown loud enough that there are enough dissenters to oust him, as Ceferin and others almost surely wouldn't make that move without having the support necessary to see it through.

Second, Infantino must garner enough support for a successful re-election campaign in March. There is a presidential election scheduled for early 2027, with Infantino's current four-year term coming due. He is allowed to run one more time per FIFA statutes, before his three-term limit is reached.

At that vote, Infantino must secure re-election, warding off any challengers to his current role. A simple majority of 50 percent of the vote is required to win election, equal to 106 of the 211 member associations across the world.

With UEFA surely no longer supporting Infantino's presidency, and CONCACAF also appearing hostile to his standing, Infantino must find enough support within Africa, Asia, South America and any other dissenters to the opposition that would back his position.

The next few months will be key to determining the future of global soccer.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.

Source: Sporting News