Gianni Infantino vowed to “restore the image and respect of FIFA” in 2016: Has he kept his promise?

When Gianni Infantino was named president of FIFA in 2016, he pledged to cleanse the reputation of an organization whose name had been tarnished by the actions of predecessor Sepp Blatter, who stepped down the previous year after becoming embroiled in bribery and corruption scandals.

“We will restore the image of FIFA and the respect of FIFA. And everyone in the world will applaud us,” claimed Infantino, who had previously been UEFA’s secretary general. “I am convinced a new era is starting.”

A new era did start, although there is a growing feeling it could soon be coming to an end.

Infantino’s controversial decade in charge

Infantino has been no stranger to controversy during his time leading world soccer’s governing body, from being investigated by FIFA’s own ethics committee to his role in helping bring World Cups to Russia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, countries that have faced criticism over human rights concerns.

The closeness of the Swiss president’s relationship with Donald Trump has also raised eyebrows, while his decision to award the American president the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in 2025 drew widespread criticism around the world.

This year, Infantino attempted and failed to orchestrate a handshake between Palestinian and Israeli delegates at FIFA’s congress, a move widely viewed as a publicity stunt aimed at boosting his image.

He also faced a criminal complaint filed by former UEFA president Michel Platini, who alleged Infantino had led a campaign of false accusations against him in an effort to replace Blatter as FIFA chief.

Although the 2026 World Cup was widely viewed as a huge success, FIFA came under fire over its dynamic ticketing strategy, which led to exorbitant prices for many games. Meanwhile, Infantino’s extensive use of private jets while traveling across North America sparked questions from environmentalists over his carbon footprint.

The World Cup may be over, but in less than two weeks, Infantino has once again found himself making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

FIFA’s failed privatization plan sparks backlash

Days after going public with a plan to privatize part of the World Cup, FIFA confirmed it had abandoned the proposal after facing overwhelming opposition from national federations across the globe.

Carlos Cordeiro, FIFA’s senior adviser and a key ally of Infantino, resigned on Friday over the project.

On Saturday, UEFA launched a scathing attack on FIFA and Infantino, expressing its dismay at “secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game” in a lengthy statement.

And the signs for the future look ominous for the FIFA president.

Although UEFA stopped short of explicitly calling for Infantino to step down, its warning that “no option should be off the table” led many to speculate that the FIFA president’s position could soon come under serious scrutiny.

Additionally, according to British newspaper The Telegraph, all 55 UEFA member associations are prepared to trigger a vote of no confidence in Infantino if he does not resign voluntarily.

If that report proves accurate, FIFA’s decision to abandon its private investment proposal may mark only the beginning of a much bigger battle over Infantino’s future.

“Anything but transparent”

In its statement, UEFA reminded supporters of Infantino’s pledge when he took office a decade ago.

“When Gianni Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of FIFA’s Member Associations to elect him as their President in 2016, he said, ‘Of course we have to be transparent. I have been this in the last 15 years of my life in UEFA. You will have to play a part every day in the life of FIFA,’ before telling the assembled stakeholders, ‘The money of FIFA is your money. It’s not the money of the FIFA President. It’s your money. You are the national associations and the money of FIFA has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.’”

“On both these promises, he has failed to deliver," claims UEFA. “The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent.”

Nearly a decade after Infantino promised to restore FIFA’s image and respect, the organization remains engulfed in questions over transparency and accountability. The new era he promised in 2016 arrived, but for many critics, it has fallen well short of the transformation they expected.

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