# Can anyone stop Infantino's re-election bid? > Fifa's president faces no challengers despite global backlash over a controversial World Cup investment scheme. - Title: Can anyone stop Infantino's re-election bid? · the Guardian - Summary: Fifa's president faces no challengers despite global backlash over a controversial World Cup investment scheme. Infantino will likely win re-election in… - Keywords: gianni infantino, fifa, fifa president election, world cup, fifa forward enterprise, thrive capital, uefa, concacaf, victor montagliani, sepp blatter, joshua kushner, fifa governance - Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/22/gianni-infantino-fifa-president-election-world-cup-sell-off-debacle - Published: 2026-09-22T19:00:03+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: gianni infantino, fifa, fifa president election, world cup, fifa forward enterprise, thrive capital, uefa, concacaf, victor montagliani, sepp blatter, joshua kushner, fifa governance ## Infantino lobbies for re-election The Fifa president is campaigning globally for support ahead of the March election, using a private jet provided by Qatar Airways as part of a sponsorship deal. ## World Cup sell-off plan abandoned Fifa scrapped its controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise plan last month after dozens of member associations withdrew their endorsements following the July announcement. ## No challengers have emerged Despite calls from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation for Infantino to step down, no one has declared as a candidate to oppose him. ## Incumbency advantage is huge Infantino controls Fifa's machinery, funding budgets, staff and resources. Running against him means effectively running against the institution itself. > As long as Gianni is running, I don't think anyone else will raise their hand. They would effectively be running against Fifa the institution. ## Victor Montagliani won't challenge Concacaf's president is the most credible potential challenger but is committed to his own confederation re-election in February and won't abandon that role. ## Other candidates face obstacles The AFC president was beaten by Infantino in 2016 and lacks support from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. A European candidate would have no chance. ## Secret ballot undermines promises Elections use secret ballots, making campaign promises from member associations worthless. This makes defeating Infantino even harder. ## Uefa pursues legal action instead Unable to find an electoral challenger, Uefa filed a 56-page legal complaint accusing Infantino of criminal mismanagement over the FFE deal. ## FFE valued at $20 billion Uefa suspects Fifa deliberately undervalued the Fifa Forward Enterprise at $20 billion to benefit Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital, which agreed to pay $4.2 billion for 21 percent. ## Thrive's Lakers deal raises questions Thrive Capital bought 20 percent of the LA Lakers for $12.5 billion last month, suggesting the FFE valuation was far too low. ## Fifa revenues growing significantly Fifa earned $15 billion over four years to 2026 and projects $18 billion for the next cycle, without accounting for World Cup expansion. ## Undervaluation could be criminal A corporate fraud lawyer says undervaluing FFE could constitute a criminal offense by deceiving member associations, a case Uefa could take to Swiss courts. > If you're doing a deal that is way off market then you are deceiving the stakeholders, in this case the member associations. That is criminal. ## Discovery process will take time Courts are expected to grant discovery next month, but Fifa can appeal, meaning new evidence likely won't emerge before the March election. ## Infantino's fourth term is permitted Fifa statutes limit presidents to three full terms, but Infantino's first term lasted three years instead of four, allowing him a fourth term. ## Uefa and Concacaf demand payments The two confederations jointly demanded Fifa release $10 million to each of its 211 member associations from its $6 billion reserves during the next cycle. ## Infantino commissioned governance review Infantino agreed to Uefa's demand for an external governance review and communicated this in a letter to member associations this week. ## Blatter's fate offers hope Infantino's predecessor Sepp Blatter was forced to resign in 2015 just days after winning re-election amid an FBI corruption investigation. > Look what happened to Blatter. He was re-elected in May 2015, but was gone in June. ## Fight continues beyond election Uefa and Concacaf are committed to a long-term battle against Infantino, viewing the election as just one phase of a larger struggle. > This is a fight to the death now and we have to keep going. ## Key takeaway Infantino will likely win re-election in March because potential opponents fear the institutional advantages of running against an incumbent who controls Fifa's resources.