Football supporter groups called on Thursday for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign after a failed plan to bring private investors into the global governing body.
The coalition, comprising European, African, and North American fan organisations alongside around 40 national supporter associations, launched a public petition on Change.org demanding immediate structural changes within football's governing body.
The action comes as the Italian-Swiss administrator prepares to stand for re-election on March 18. Signatories stated that the proposal to create a commercial company with private investors, revealed earlier this summer, represented the culmination of a series of decisions undermining international football.
In their petition, supporter representatives cited Infantino's secret involvement in the failed European Super League project in 2021, an aborted attempt to stage the FIFA World Cup every two years, exorbitant ticket pricing for the 2026 World Cup, and the growth of a culture of intimidation and centralized personal power. The signatories accused Infantino of betraying both his official position and football as a whole.
The coalition argued that removing an individual leader would not repair the damage, insisting on total transparency around major FIFA decisions, active stakeholder participation, and effective control mechanisms over the executive.
Supporter Leadership Demands Structural Reform
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, warned against replacing the president without restructuring the institution. Evain said that if FIFA presidents lost control the moment they were elected, repeating ten-year cycles that ended in the exact same position served no purpose. He added that deep structural reform was required to prevent executive breakdowns on such a scale.
Sources indicated that European governing body UEFA currently lacks a candidate to challenge Infantino in the upcoming election. Instead, UEFA officials are working on a proposal for a rotating FIFA presidency, alternating leadership between continental confederations in a system modeled on the presidency of the European Union.
Commenting on the proposal, Evain said that because UEFA did not have an opposing candidate, breaking up the existing system was a logical step. He described the rotating presidency idea as an interesting approach to limiting the concentration of power.
Mounting Opposition Across Global Football
The fan petition follows broader discontent across international football. The Norwegian Football Federation has called for Infantino's departure and demanded his resignation. Former Portuguese international Luis Figo also criticized the FIFA president, stating that it was already too late for Infantino to save his dignity.
Opposition has also emerged from regional governing bodies. UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation have repeatedly voiced criticism of Infantino and FIFA management. Following recent controversies, FIFA issued a public apology while maintaining its full support for Infantino's presidency.
Amid the growing pressure, former United States President Donald Trump publicly backed Infantino. Internally, friction within the organization was highlighted when senior FIFA official Kevin Lamour sent a farewell letter to staff that addressed all employees with the explicit exception of Infantino.
The resistance follows previous controversial initiatives promoted by Infantino, including a proposal to create an Under-15 World Cup hosted at Disney World in Florida.
