Gianni Infantino, eyeing a fourth consecutive term as president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), is facing a severe backlash over the controversy surrounding the establishment of a "World Cup subsidiary."

As critical voices erupt across the international football community, contrary to previous expectations that Infantino would run unopposed and win next year's election, several potential rivals are now being mentioned, and demands for his immediate resignation are emerging.

Following FIFA's withdrawal of its plan to establish a tournament management subsidiary—such as for the World Cup—and sell a stake to the private sector, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) issued a scathing statement on the 1st (local time) fiercely criticizing President Infantino.

UEFA asserted that "the FIFA leadership has lost the trust not only of UEFA but of other members of the football family," demanding that the truth behind the subsidiary controversy be investigated and accountability enforced.

UEFA pointed out that "the poorly prepared, backroom deal he concocted and tried to push through was entirely opaque," and noted that President Infantino failed to keep his promise made upon his initial election in 2016 to secure FIFA's transparency.

UEFA, which boasts 55 member associations and exerts powerful influence in the football world, had previously strongly protested, threatening to boycott the World Cup upon learning of FIFA's plan to set up the subsidiary.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), to which the co-hosts of the upcoming World Cup—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—belong, also pointed out that "unilateral and outrageous mismanagement" has continued during President Infantino's tenure, stating that "a comprehensive review of the leadership is urgently needed."

FIFA had planned to establish a commercial entity dedicated to managing tournaments such as the World Cup, tentatively named "FIFA Forward Enterprise" (FFE), and sell a portion of its stake to the private sector to raise up to $4.2 billion (approximately 6.07 trillion won).

Joshua Kushner of the investment fund Thrive Capital, who was slated to broker the deal, is the brother-in-law of Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The original plan also included distributing a 20 percent stake to all 211 FIFA member associations.

However, criticisms poured in that this scheme, along with the plan to expand the World Cup finals to 64 teams, was a maneuver designed to ensure President Infantino's victory in the presidential election scheduled for next March.

Infantino was first elected through an election in 2016 after former President Sepp Blatter stepped down amid corruption allegations.

He ran uncontested in the 2019 and 2023 elections, and the majority of projections anticipated he would successfully secure a fourth term next year without any notable competitors.

However, as criticism persisted that President Infantino was politicizing football by aligning closely with President Trump, the World Cup subsidiary controversy erupted, prompting calls to force Infantino out by staging a competitive election.

Mentioned as potential challengers are Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and chairman of the European Club Association (ECA); Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF; and Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who ran against Infantino and lost in the 2016 election.

The British daily The Guardian reported that while Al-Khelaifi enjoys European backing among them, he appears hesitant to run himself.

Qatar, Al-Khelaifi's home country and the host of the 2022 World Cup, supported Infantino alongside Morocco regarding the recent subsidiary controversy.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström of Sweden were also raised as potential candidates.

However, given that Europe has held the presidency for nearly 30 years since former chief Blatter took office in 1998, some forecasts suggest European figures like Ceferin will focus on playing a "kingmaker" role.

During the upcoming North and Central America World Cup, the FIFA executive body toured 211 member associations to secure signatures endorsing President Infantino for next year's election.

However, UEFA is reportedly considering ways to request that national associations withdraw their endorsements.

A significant number of European national associations, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark, have effectively declared a vote of no confidence against President Infantino following the emergence of the subsidiary controversy.

Candidate registration for the FIFA presidential election runs until November 18.

Demands are also emerging for him to resign immediately rather than waiting for next year's election.

Javier Tebas, president of Spain's La Liga, listed controversies thus far on X (formerly Twitter)—including the World Cup privatization plan, exorbitant ticket prices, and the deferred disciplinary action against U.S. national team player Folarin Balogun—and wrote, "For all these reasons, I believe Gianni Infantino should no longer hold the position of FIFA chief."

The British daily The Telegraph reported that if President Infantino does not step down, associations affiliated with UEFA plan to convene an extraordinary FIFA congress for an impeachment vote.

Under FIFA regulations, a vote of no confidence against the president can be brought to the floor with a motion by at least 43 associations, and impeachment is secured if 106 or more associations vote in favor.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)