FIFA has confirmed that a review of its withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal will be presented to the FIFA Council — a concession that comes only after Denmark's football chief Jesper Moller publicly called out the governing body for stonewalling its own Legal Committee.
Moller's frustration wasn't subtle. He said FIFA refused to answer what he called "critical questions" about a project launched by President Gianni Infantino himself: a plan to sell a 20% commercial stake in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to outside investors. The proposal triggered a wave of opposition from UEFA, the AFC, and CONCACAF, and even put a no-confidence vote against Infantino briefly on the table.
European pressure is building — but the math still favours Infantino
The backlash has since taken a more concrete shape. Several European national associations have pulled their support for Infantino's re-election. Greek FA President Makis Gagatsis and former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff joined UEFA's push for structural change at FIFA on Tuesday, signalling a coordinated European front rather than scattered dissent.
And yet — multiple sources close to the discussions told Reuters that Infantino still has enough backing to win another term. Which means his opponents are already shifting tactics, looking less at removing him and more at clipping his wings.
That's a significant tell. If you can't beat him, contain him. The reform conversation is quietly moving from "who leads FIFA" to "how much power does that person actually hold."
What happens next
The FIFA Council — 37 members including Infantino, eight vice-presidents, and 28 elected representatives — will receive the FFE review, though no timeline has been specified. Whether that review is a genuine accounting or a managed walk-back remains the real question.
The presidential election is set for March 18, 2027, in Rabat. Infantino will stand for a fourth term. If the European bloc can't shift enough votes between now and then, the FFE saga may end up as a cautionary footnote rather than a turning point — and FIFA's commercial strategy, whatever form it takes next, will still have Infantino's fingerprints all over it.
