On August 1, according to The Guardian, UEFA and other continental football confederations are stepping up efforts to identify candidates for next year's FIFA presidential election, to challenge the incumbent president Gianni Infantino.

Image: FIFA President Gianni Infantino

Previously, Infantino's proposal to sell some World Cup rights to private investors dramatically fell through. Faced with strong global opposition, the FIFA president admitted that the project "caused serious division and deviated from its original intention."

The plan caused an uproar in global football, with UEFA threatening to boycott future FIFA tournaments if the proposal was not withdrawn. Other continental football confederations also voiced their opposition, and Infantino's senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro resigned on Friday in protest. FIFA COO Kevin Lamour also severely criticized Infantino, stating that he showed "a serious lack of respect" in pushing the plan and forced it through with little consultation.

All these pressures forced Infantino to make concessions. Sources claim that Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm leading the investment group, also expressed doubts after witnessing the plan almost split the football world within a week. Infantino's previously stable presidential position now faces severe challenges, and it remains to be seen whether this concession can save his job.

In a statement, Infantino said: "After carefully listening to all parties, I clearly realize that, regardless of the level of support, this project has caused serious divisions and deviated from the goals originally set."

"Our original intention has always been - and always will be - to unite all parties and promote development. Therefore, this proposal will no longer be pursued. Next, I plan to convene all stakeholders in the coming days and weeks, in the spirit of common good for football, to renegotiate with the goal of continuing to promote the development of football around the world, especially in those countries most in need of support."

The "FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE)" plan, announced earlier this week, aimed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars by selling substantial commercial rights for the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup to investors. The plan promised to distribute a total of "over 10 billion US dollars" (approximately 7.5 billion pounds) to FIFA's 211 member associations, and set September 19 as the registration deadline for member associations, with participating associations able to receive 20 million US dollars (approximately 14.8 million pounds) in optional funding.

However, this plan was unanimously rejected by European countries, who reached a consensus at an emergency meeting on Thursday. CONCACAF and AFC also clearly expressed their dissatisfaction, with AFC even issuing a sharply worded statement on Friday morning to make its position clear. Although Infantino enjoys solid support in Africa, he was helpless, as the necessary votes to push through the plan were never secured.

Given the widespread rebellion within FIFA and the severe damage to Infantino's reputation in other regions, attention has now turned to his future. The Balogun red card incident that occurred during the World Cup three weeks ago had already left many member associations deeply dissatisfied with his handling, and now the withdrawal of the proposal is also unlikely to reverse the attitudes of these associations. However, some observers also point out that if FIFA's reserves of approximately 4 billion US dollars (approximately 2.97 billion pounds) were used to fulfill the FFE's promised funds, it might convince enough football associations to bail him out.

It is reported that UEFA and other continental football confederations have stepped up efforts to find candidates, preparing to challenge Infantino in next year's FIFA presidential election, as it was previously widely believed that he would easily win a fourth presidential term. Their resolve seems unchanged, and this incident has dealt a devastating blow to Infantino's credibility. Only time will tell if he can turn the situation around.

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