The English Football Association is set to withdraw its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino following the collapse of his controversial plan to sell stakes in the governing bodys competitions to private investors. The move comes as UEFA considers legal action over the proposal, while the Football Association of Wales has publicly withdrawn its backing for Infantinos bid to remain FIFA president.Infantinos leadership has come under increasing pressure after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation all opposed the investment plan, forcing FIFA to abandon the proposal.The governing body had intended to create a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage its flagship competitions, including the mens and womens World Cups, while allowing external investors to purchase minority stakes.According to The Telegraph, UEFA has informed Infantino it is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints in relation to the proposal.The European governing body has also demanded that FIFA preserve all documents connected to the plan, including emails, instant messages, text messages, written correspondence and meeting notes involving FIFA officials, member associations, broadcasters, sponsors and financial institutions.UEFA has requested confirmation within five business days that the documents will be retained and protected from deletion.FIFA has been approached for comment.Infantino bribe backfiresInfantino had written to all 211 FIFA member associations promising each nation $40 million (�30 million) if they backed the proposal, with an initial payment of $20 million (�15 million) available ahead of a September 19 deadline.The proposed investment was expected to be led by American venture capital firm Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.Despite the growing backlash, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Sri Lanka have publicly backed Infantinos leadership.The Swiss official remains eligible to seek a fourth and final term as FIFA president at next Marchs Congress, where he would require the support of at least 106 of the organisations 211 member associations.However, pressure is also mounting within FIFAs governing structure.An extraordinary FIFA Council meeting could be called if at least 19 of its 37 members request one, with the meeting required to take place within two weeks.The council includes nine representatives from UEFA, seven from the Asian Football Confederation, five from Concacaf, six from the Confederation of African Football, five from CONMEBOL, three from Oceania, as well as Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. Topics Gianni Infantino Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Real Madrid issue statement after FIFA U-turn as pressure grows on Gianni Infantino Cian Cheesbrough 2nd August, 2026 BREAKING: UEFA to boycott FIFA World Cup Ben Miller 30th July, 2026 UEFA calls FIFA World Cup plan sell-off a profound failure of leadership Ben Miller 30th July, 2026 CAF to assess and evaluate Infantinos controversial World Cup proposals Nicholas McGee 29th July, 2026 FIFA would lose its soul under controversial World Cup scheme, Blatter warns Nicholas McGee 29th July, 2026 FIFAs World Cup sell-off: UEFA responds after Infantino sets deadline to accept $40m offer Nicholas McGee 29th July, 2026
