Riyadh to the Rescue: Infantino Clings to Power as FIFA Cracks

When global football’s institutional heavyweights stage a revolt, a desperate administrator must seek salvation elsewhere. Gianni Infantino, currently facing the fiercest storm of his ten-year tenure as FIFA president, has found a comforting embrace in Riyadh. Following the total collapse of his controversial commercial scheme, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has rushed to declare its support for the beleaguered executive.

The source of the uproar is the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, an opaque attempt to privatise a 20 percent stake in a commercial entity managing FIFA tournament rights. Facing ferocious pushback from regional powerbrokers, Zurich was forced to apologise and scrap the plan entirely. The political damage, however, was already done. Three major confederations—UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF—are currently considering a formal vote of no confidence.

Italy’s football federation became the latest national body to abandon Infantino, publicly rescinding its support over concerns regarding how international competitions are run. Operating with its trademark pragmatism, Rome swiftly distanced itself from Zurich's misstep, unwilling to compromise its standing for an administration in crisis. Meanwhile, UEFA brandished its heaviest weapon by threatening to pull out of the upcoming FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. That boycott was only called off after European officials received explicit promises that the commercial sell-off would not be revived under any guise.

Cornered by continental bodies, Infantino has engaged in classical survival tactics. Rather than summoning his official 37-member FIFA Council—which includes Saudi representative Yasser Al Misehal—he gathered a select circle of managers in Rabat, Morocco, three weeks ago to plot a path toward his March re-election bid. Bypassing the confederations, he is courting individual member nations directly.

While European traditionalists demand structural accountability, Saudi Arabia’s strategic ambitions align neatly with Infantino’s survival. Having secured the 2034 World Cup and poured massive capital into FIFA events through its Public Investment Fund, the kingdom released a statement praising Infantino's decade of growing the game and calling for open dialogue to restore unity. For an executive pursuing a fourth term in office, Gulf capital and political loyalty offer far more comfort than the uncomfortable questions echoing from European headquarters.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com