Is Gianni Infantino’s time up as Fifa president? - The Latest

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Is Gianni Infantino’s time up as Fifa president?"

Podcast: Today in Focus – The Latest (The Guardian)
Host: Lucy Hoff
Guest: Jonny Liu, Guardian sports writer and columnist
Date: August 4, 2026
Duration (Content Only): Approx. 12 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode investigates the mounting pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino following a highly controversial plan to privatize parts of the World Cup. Lucy Hoff and Jonny Liu unpack the backlash from football federations, the internal politics of FIFA, and speculate on Infantino’s future amid increasing calls for his resignation. The discussion reflects on the broader commercialization and politicization of football, and whether recent fan and federation protests will actually catalyze genuine change.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: The World Cup Private Equity Controversy

[01:26 – 03:24]

• Infantino faced outrage after a proposal to sell parts of the World Cup to private equity investors was leaked and then abandoned following intense backlash.

• The move was seen as the latest step in FIFA's pattern of controversial decisions.

• Jonny Liu likens the effect to "a frog in boiling water," suggesting the slow accumulation of scandals has numbed the footballing community until hitting a breaking point.

  Quote:

  "There comes a point at which the straw breaks the camel's back… there's something really emblematic about the idea of, even though FIFA would not describe it like this, of selling the World Cup. That is very evocative."
  — Jonny Liu [01:04, 02:37]

2. Infantino’s Reputation and Attempts to Save His Position

[03:24 – 05:37]

• Infantino, initially seen as a reformer post-Blatter era, is now accused of deepening the organization’s problems.

• He issued a statement claiming the project created division and promising to reunite stakeholders—but this had the opposite effect as UEFA and others ramped up pressure, even threatening to boycott future World Cups.

• Internal memos from FIFA leadership hinted at an "organization bigger than any individual," signaling possible shifts in loyalty.

  Quote:

  "The federations that are trying to topple him will need 106 votes, a simple majority of the 211 federations, to force him out. And at present it's not entirely clear whether they have anything like those numbers…"
  — Jonny Liu [04:56]

3. The Trump Connection and Reputational Fallout

[05:37 – 07:33]

• Reports emerged that Infantino was reaching out to Donald Trump for support, but Trump’s office had not responded.

• The private equity bid involved Josh Kushner’s firm—Kushner being the brother of Trump's son-in-law—further politicizing the issue.

• Jonny Liu mocks the notion of Trump being a reliable political ally for Infantino.

  Quote:

  "The idea that you would run to President Trump to save your skin when your job is under threat is quite comical… what exactly is Trump going to do? Impose tariffs on Wales unless they back him?"
  — Jonny Liu [06:23]

4. The Prospect of a Challenged FIFA Election

[07:33 – 09:45]

• With elections looming, UEFA is searching for a rival candidate to challenge Infantino, but forging consensus in FIFA’s fractured political landscape is hugely difficult.

• Names floated include Victor Montagliano (CONCACAF, Canada) and Nasser Al-Khelaifi (PSG/Qatar), although neither is confirmed.

• The secretive nature of FIFA politics means little is certain until a name is officially anointed, after which there would be a frantic, short campaign.

  Quote:

  "FIFA is an incredibly factional place and UEFA, for all the power they enjoy… is not universally popular in the world game."
  — Jonny Liu [08:12]

5. Fan Sentiment and the Power of Protest

[09:45 – 11:56]

• Jonny Liu draws a parallel to the European Super League protests, noting that football can rally against bad ideas, but sustained outrage tends to be lacking on more difficult, long-term issues.

• Regrets are expressed that such activism is only now crystallizing, after extensive damage to the sport's integrity.

  Quote:

  "It is encouraging that we've seen this groundswell of opinion against FIFA, but I just wish some of it had been crystallized and harnessed a little bit earlier… the damage that's been done to football could have been averted."
  — Jonny Liu [11:56]

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Memorable Quotes

• On FIFA’s Immunity to Scandal:

  "He was allowed to think himself unimpeachable, impregnable, like a kind of messianic figure who could do whatever he wanted."
  — Jonny Liu [11:57]

• On Accountability:

  "Could private equity do a worse job of organizing a World Cup than FIFA do?"
  — Jonny Liu [01:57]

• On the Future:

  "It may well be that he survives this and is strengthened… and rules football for another four years. We can't rule that out."
  — Jonny Liu [12:19]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:04 – Episode begins; Jonny Liu on the straw breaking the camel’s back for FIFA scandals
• 01:57 – Reaction to the World Cup privatization proposal
• 03:24 – Infantino’s failed damage control; UEFA and federations turn up the heat
• 04:56 – Internal FIFA politics and the numbers needed to oust Infantino
• 05:37 – The Trump connection and U.S. private equity involvement
• 07:33 – Discussion of potential rival candidates for FIFA president
• 09:45 – Reflections on fan power, protests, and FIFA’s broader issues
• 11:56 – Regrets about lack of earlier action against FIFA mismanagement
• 12:33 – Summary and sign-off

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Tone & Style

• The episode maintains a conversational, insightful, and at times sardonic tone, particularly from Jonny Liu, who blends skepticism with a deep knowledge of football’s administrative history.
• Lucy Hoff steers the discussion to ensure both the political maneuvers and the fan perspective are covered, striking a balance between analysis and relatable commentary.

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Summary

This episode offers an incisive, fast-paced breakdown of the latest FIFA crisis involving Gianni Infantino. It exposes the farcical drama of high-level football politics—where private equity, presidential phone calls, and last-minute climbing down from disastrous proposals threaten to further erode public trust. While some hope that the backlash signals a turning point, both hosts remain wary given the sport’s track record of missed opportunities for reform.

Transcript

[Podcast Host (Guardian Announcer)]

This is the Guardian. Today In Focus is supported by Paramount. This isn't the end of a fight, it's the start of one. Lioness, the critically acclaimed original series from Taylor Sheridan, is now streaming only on Paramount. In the new season, hidden networks, foreign operatives and personal betrayals collide. Meanwhile, Jo walks the line between duty and family as unseen forces circle her world, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life. Don't miss the new season of Lioness, starring Zoe Saldana and Michael Kelly, with Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman, now streaming only on Paramount. Plus,

[Jonny Liu]

There comes a point at which the straw breaks the camel's back. The idea that you would run to President Trump to save your skin when your job is under threat is quite comical. It is encouraging that we've seen this groundswell of opinion against FIFA, but I just wish some of it had been crystallized and harnessed a little bit earlier. The damage that's been done to football could have been averted from the Guardians

[Lucy Hoff]

today In Focus this is the latest with me, Lucy Half FIFA president Gianni Infantino is under huge pressure to stand down after his very humiliating u turn over the weekend over plans to sell off parts of the World cup to private equity. Johnny Liu, you're a Guardian sportswriter and columnist. Let's circle back to last week. I'm just wondering how you felt when you first heard the news of this scheme.

[Jonny Liu]

To be really brutally honest, kind of nonplussed by it, really. Having covered FIFA and football for what, 10, 15 years and seen the indignities and iniquities that FIFA has got up to, it's almost kind of like a frog in boiling water. You see the latest? Oh, well, obviously they've overturned a red card. Obviously they've given the World cup to Russia. Obviously they're going to sell a part of it off. It didn't seem to me like a massive leap from the direction of travel that they were going in. Part of me wondered whether private equity or private investors might introduce a layer of accountability almost that FIFA doesn't. Could private equity do a worse job of organizing a World cup than FIFA do? Or so all these thoughts swimming through my head, and I guess for the broader footballing community, it's really hard to know what the line is, that there comes a point, and we saw this with the Super League as well, the European Super League a few years ago, that people will almost tune out and tune out and tune out. But there comes a point at which the straw breaks the camel's back and a cascade of opprobrium rains down on everyone's head. And it's always really hard to know where that point is. But there was something really emblematic about the idea of, even though FIFA would not describe it like this, of selling the World Cup. That is very evocative. So I think that is what's got everyone really exercised.

[Lucy Hoff]

Yeah. And Gianni Infantino obviously being the person that was supposed to sort of clean up FIFA after the set blatter years and all the allegations of corruption during that period. In a statement, obviously trying to save his own back, Infantino said that it had become clear that the project had created divisions and that his intent was to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks. But it really feels like the opposite has happened. UEFA in particular last week threatened to boycott any future World cup, but they've now gone even further than that, seemingly really putting pressure on Infantino to go.

[Jonny Liu]

Yes. And that pressure appears to be ramping up this week. There's a story in the Guardian this morning about how concacaf, which represent the North American, Central American, Caribbean nations, are the latest federation that is going to look at, that is allegedly going to look at putting up a candidate or backing candidate to stop Infantino. Arson Wenger, who's the FIFA's head of development, who's been pretty quiet on this for the last couple of weeks, he's come out this morning and said, look, this has nothing to do with me, I didn't want it. There's an internal memo, an internal staff memo from Infantino's right hand man, essentially the general Secretary, Matthias Grafstrom, to staff at FIFA, saying that this is a regrettable episode and that the organization is bigger than any one event or individual, which it is coded language, but it does sound kind of ominous. And the fact that Infantino rode back on it so quickly and is almost trying to. He's trying to shore up support. You can guarantee that he is calling his allies, he is ringing round the people that he trusts to try and get a sense of where he is. Because as they say in politics, the first rule is now out of count. And the federations that are trying to topple him will need 106 votes, a simple majority of the 211 feder to force him out. And at present it's not entirely clear whether they have anything like those numbers, even though UEFA's 55 is comfortably the biggest confederation.

[Lucy Hoff]

Yeah, yeah. And a very meaningful and significant one. One person that we know Infantino has been trying to call to rally support is Donald Trump. But it's been reported that Trump is not picking up his calls. I'm wondering if you think kind of that relationship is where it all went wrong, because of course, part of this private equity scheme involved Joshu Kushner and his private equity firm, who is of course the brother of Trump's son in law. Do you think that relationship is what's forming so much of this controversy?

[Jonny Liu]

It certainly tarnished him reputationally. I think his closeness with Trump helped deliver what FIFA would say was the most commercially lucrative World cup in history. And that is what they would say is their raison d'.

[Jackson Financial Advertiser]

Etre.

[Jonny Liu]

But yeah, of course it has. Morally, reputationally, and I think politically it is tying himself to what is, if you look at the polls in America, quite a lame duck leader who is reviled in most of Europe and much of the global south. He reviled around the world. And so the idea that you would run to President Trump to save your skin when your job is under threat is quite comical for two reasons, really. First, the idea that what exactly is Trump going to do? What is he going to do? Impose tariffs on Wales unless they back him? It sounds kind of absurd. The idea that he could, that the, the animal magnetism of Trump would somehow scare Europe into alignment. But also the idea that President Trump is a loyal kind of guy at all, he's someone you can call in a favor on. He clearly does have a personal regard for Gianni and Fantino, but I don't think the intervention of Trump, if and when it occurs, if and when, if it has any credence at all, is going to sway much on either side.

[Lucy Hoff]

Yeah, well, prayers for Wales and the hope that tariffs aren't imposed there. There are presidential elections next year. I think when this story broke last week, there was a sense, firstly, that Infantino was likely to survive it, but secondly, that it was likely to go through, or certainly that was some of the reporting. That feels very different now. I mean, you touched on it earlier. But do you think there is a possibility that there will be a challenger candidate and that Infantin might lose that election?

[Jonny Liu]

I think there's the possibility of a candidate. I think UEFA are trying incredibly hard right now amongst the federations to try and come up with a candidate that will be acceptable to a broad base of the FIFA electorate, which is not easy. FIFA is an incredibly factional place and UEFA, for all the power they enjoy, the cultural power and financial power, is not universally popular in the world game. Their power base, globally speaking, is quite small. So the name that gets talked about is Victor Montagliano from Canada, obviously from the CONCACAF federation that just held the World Cup. And again, because there's so little transparency, because there's so little way of scrutinizing the process, it's impossible to know whether he actually wants it. But apparently he's one of the names that UEFA have talked about. One of the other names that was mentioned, which is Al Khalifi, Nasser Al Qalaifi of Qatar, who's a, obviously the owner of psg. I don't think that that is going to be very likely. I think he's quite close to Infantino. He's not a confrontational kind of guy. I think he's much more of a pragmatist who enjoys quite a significant power base as it is and might not want to risk that with a divisive presidential campaign. So, yeah, I mean, the time is running out, by the way, because once a name is picked or anointed, they basically have three months to get a campaign together before the presidential election, the next FIFA Congress. And in that time, Infantin will be using all his levers of power, all his political nous and skills and contacts and leverage, I guess you could call it, to try and swing the result his way.

[Lucy Hoff]

Yeah, it's going to be a fascinating thing to watch. Just lastly, Jonny, I mean, obviously you mentioned the comparison with the European Super League and the sort of enormous backlash to that. We've seen a similar thing happen here, but at the end of a World cup that felt so flawed, so hyper monetized and commercialized, the hydration breaks that created so much advertising revenue. Do you think, or do you still feel confident, as someone that loves football, that it is a game that belongs to the fans?

[Jonny Liu]

To an extent, I think, like as with the. I took so much inspiration from the European Super League protests, I found it incredibly moving, actually, and stirring how quickly the game united against that idea and we saw something similar to that. It wasn't as concerted or frankly as passionate or energetic a campaign as when fans took to the streets to protest the Super League. But we did see a lot of that same momentum that I think maybe had been building for a while. Discontent with FIFA, Infantino with the way the game is run, with the way, you know, a lot of our world is run, frankly. You know, I think the, the MAGA World cup as a lot of people called it, I think it displayed, it demonstrated so much of what has gone wrong in the world in terms of the relationship, you know, of power to the people it's supposed to protect and you know, the ordinary man or woman in the street. My only kind of caveat with that is I, we talked about all of the grim stuff that FIFA has done over the years and I just think where was this energy when the US Was trying to ban a referee from coming to the World Cup? Where was this energy over Iran? Where is this energy over Qatar or Russia or Palestine, Israel or any of the thousands issues in football that frankly should have put an instant end to the Infantino reign on the spot.

[Lucy Hoff]

Yeah.

[Jonny Liu]

But people just kind of nodded it along and, and you know, sort of made noises and so he was allowed to think himself unimpeachable, impregnable, like a kind of messianic figure who could do whatever he wanted. And you know, it may well be that he survives this and, and is strengthened and, and wins another election and rules football for another four years. Yeah, we can't rule that out. So I think, you know, it is, it is encouraging that we've seen this groundswell of opinion against FIFA, but I, I just wish some of it had been crystallized and harnessed a little bit earlier when a little bit of the damage that's been done to football could have been averted.

[Lucy Hoff]

Yeah, a very good point, well made. And one imagines Infantino as having some sleepless nights in this period. Jonny, thank you so much.

[Jonny Liu]

Yeah, thank you.

[Lucy Hoff]

That's it for today. My huge thanks again to Johnny Liu, Guardian sports writer and columnist. You can keep up with all his work over at the Guardian Document. Thanks for listening to this episode of the latest Today in Focus will be back in your feeds as usual tomorrow morning. The latest will be back tomorrow night. This episode was produced by Annie Levesper and Bryony Moore. The senior producer was Ryan Ramgobin. It was presented by me, Lucy Hoff.

[Podcast Host (Guardian Announcer)]

This is the guardian

[Lucy Hoff]

foreign.

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