Gianni Infantino Faces Backlash Over FIFA Reforms

Gianni Infantino’s promise to open the door to reforms at Fifa has been torn apart by German FA (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf, who has branded it a naked bid to cling to power.

The Fifa president is fighting for his political life after being forced to scrap a controversial plan to sell a 20 per cent stake in Fifa tournaments – including the World Cup – to private investors. The backlash has been fierce and sustained, and it has not just come from Europe.

Uefa has taken the lead, pushing for Infantino to resign and even threatening to boycott Fifa competitions. Several European associations have already withdrawn their support for his re-election, ripping up what was once a solid bloc behind the Swiss-Italian. Resistance has also grown inside the Asian confederation and Concacaf, covering North and Central America and the Caribbean, leaving Infantino increasingly isolated.

Under mounting pressure, Infantino moved on Monday night. In a letter sent to all 211 member associations and Fifa Council members, and reported by multiple outlets, he set out a reform pitch. He proposed an “independent external review of Fifa's current governance framework” and insisted that his abandoned sell-off proposal had never put “Fifa's democratic processes, independence and sporting authority” up for sale.

The timing and tone landed badly in Germany.

Neuendorf dismissed the move as blatant electioneering ahead of the Fifa presidential vote in March 2027. He did not bother to soften the blow.

“I regard Gianni Infantino's letter as a transparent ploy to secure his re-election next year,” Neuendorf said on Tuesday.

He acknowledged that Fifa finally appears to accept that change is unavoidable, but he drew a hard line at who should lead it.

“Fundamentally, Fifa now seems to have recognised that changes are essential. However, Gianni Infantino is definitely not the right person to lead a reform process. He has squandered all credibility.”

Germany’s stance has not come out of nowhere. The DFB had already broken ranks earlier this year, refusing to endorse Infantino even before the latest World Cup-related scandals erupted around Zurich.

“The DFB has not signed a letter of support for the re-election of Gianni Infantino,” the federation stated in July, adding that “further steps will be discussed in the DFB presidential board.”

That loss of faith runs deeper than one man in a suit. It touches the country’s wider football leadership.

Former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff underlined how far trust has eroded.

“We have to take care of football,” he said. “It is already commercial but it is a property for all of football. The world views may be different but in the last weeks and months a lot happened so that we have no trust any more that it will be going in the right direction.”

Infantino, for now, remains in office, armed with a reform letter and shrinking backing. The next move belongs to Fifa’s 211 members – and to a football world that must decide whether it still wants him anywhere near the reset button.