On August 4th, according to Sky News reporter Rob Harris, FIFA President Gianni Infantino's position is currently quite stable.

Rob Harris Column

Infantino is embroiled in controversy over the sale of FIFA World Cup equity, which adds a layer of intriguing meaning to the answers he gave in my interview before this FIFA World Cup. The FIFA President proactively mentioned accusations from external sources regarding "FIFA funds being used to solicit votes."

However, my questions at the time only revolved around ticket prices and did not involve his personal power, nor did they imply any ulterior motives for him extracting high revenues from fans.

Yet, he steered the conversation towards the election mechanism of the FIFA President – 211 member associations have equal say, whether you are Spain, ranked number one in men's football, or San Marino, at the bottom. In Mexico City in June, Infantino responded to me, saying: "I also hear people say things like, 'this money is given to the associations to consolidate power.'"

"Then tell me, where else should this money go? Should it be used to fund corruption? I don't think so. The money must be distributed to the associations and will be supervised, invested in projects that bring hope and dreams to children."

He continued: "If we believe in democracy, we must accept the principle of 'one person, one vote'... I know there were medieval practices in some parts of the world – you know which places – where the rich had more votes than the poor. I don't know if you want to return to that system, perhaps some do?"

He might be alluding to certain countries today that have not achieved full democracy, or perhaps the era centuries ago when the British working class was deprived of the right to vote. This precisely exposes Infantino's dissatisfaction with accountability from the British side, accusing them of moralizing from a high horse. Infantino will also frame his struggle for re-election as a conspiracy by European forces. UEFA is collectively working to remove him: from issuing no-confidence statements, withdrawing support for re-election, to threatening legal action against Infantino and his cronies.

However, there is no unified front globally to overthrow the current FIFA leadership, and they do not have a numerical advantage in votes. Even if all 90 members of UEFA and CONCACAF were to oppose Infantino in next year's vote of confidence or presidential election, which corresponds to the public statements of the two major confederations last Saturday, it is still far from the support of half of the associations. Therefore, Infantino still holds significant power and maintains a strong stance.

Since being forced to abandon the FIFA World Cup equity sale plan, he has neither responded to external criticism of his leadership nor apologized for the "fire sale" deal questioned by Europe, Asia, and North America. He has not proactively defended his actions, nor has he emphasized his efforts to generate revenue for member associations in the absence of financial support from powerful European football clubs.

Even within the UK, currently, only the English and Welsh FAs have publicly announced the withdrawal of their support for him. The Swiss FA also holds a cautious attitude towards its national president and requires further consultation before deciding whether to withdraw electoral support.

Can Infantino survive this crisis?

This might mean that for the first time since Infantino replaced the notorious Blatter in 2016, there will be a challenger in the FIFA presidential election – the Swedish FA has confirmed that UEFA is looking for a suitable candidate.

The FIFA annual congress at that time may no longer be the bland, routine gathering of the past but will instead see dissenting voices, much like a parliament.

However, UEFA has already demonstrated its means of weakening Infantino and FIFA: formally issuing legal action threats against the latter's plan to establish a FIFA World Cup spin-off company. European national associations may still boycott FIFA-sanctioned events, including the U20 Women's FIFA World Cup in Poland a month later.

But it appears Infantino is leveraging political connections to gain support, with Qatar (his permanent office location), Lebanon (which granted him citizenship last year), and Morocco (where FIFA has a regional headquarters and is a co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup) having publicly declared their support for his leadership.

Will he seek the support of "football king" Trump?

Rumors within football circles suggest Infantino was scheduled to speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. Although the Iran issue is the US State Department's top agenda, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, Dylan Johnson, stated that "there are no plans for a call at this time." Was this call ever possible? Infantino has remained silent since issuing a statement early last Saturday announcing the termination of the $20 billion FIFA World Cup equity sale project.

If UEFA does not push for a no-confidence vote, will Infantino last until the next presidential election?

UEFA has not backed down, and this "football civil war," which could last until 2027, might severely impact football, especially with many critical decisions awaiting, such as the approval of hosting rights for the 2035 Women's FIFA World Cup. Although Infantino's presidency seems precarious, not everyone globally is against him, making UEFA's removal efforts significantly more difficult.

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