How does a vote of no confidence work in FIFA? Gianni Infantino presidency threatened as UEFA consider options
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Gianni Infantino has never been more exposed as FIFA president than as July turned to August and his FIFA Forward Enterprise plan lie in tatters.
Just the previous day, FIFA had confirmed that Infantino's grand concoction to sell off shares of FFE, a proposed subsidiary housing the World Cup commercial rights, was dead.
"Having listened carefully to all the views," FIFA wrote, "it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place. Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."
Now, the attention turns to the status of Infantino, who has sewn divisions within his own power structure. While Infantino is set to stand for reelection next March, there have been recent calls to force him to defend his position before that date.
MORE:Rounding up each confederation's response to the now-defunct FFE plan
Latest news, reports as UEFA look to oust Gianni Infantino
According to a report by Tom Morgan of The Telegraph on August 1, UEFA has informed Gianni Infantino that the federation will trigger a vote of no confidence unless the FIFA president resigns of his own accord.
UEFA released a public statement that implicated Infantino as a tyrant whose "secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game" have fractured the sport's power structure and left the organisation's executive committee fighting from within.
"The current Fifa leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," the statement read.
There are multiple reports over the last few days as well as statements from at least three confederations that have indicated anger within FIFA towards Infantino's secrecy over the FFE deal.
CONCACAF expressed their "deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies." Meanwhile, AFC stated that questions remained regarding "the central concerns surrounding governance, institutional process and meaningful consultation."
How is a vote of no confidence triggered at FIFA?
According to Article 25(4) of the most recent FIFA statutes, 20 percent of FIFA's member nations must call for a vote of no confidence in order to trigger such a motion.
Given FIFA's 211 member association, that would mean that 43 nations could bring forth a call for an emergency congress. UEFA holds 55 member nations, and could easily trigger such a vote.
At that point, FIFA would be required to convene this extraordinary congress within three months of the request, with a date and location of the meeting set two months before the associations convene.
How many votes does a vote of no confidence need to be successful?
Once the vote of no confidence is triggered by the 20 percent motion, FIFA would convene an emergency congress.
At that emergency congress, each member nation would get one vote, no matter how large or small that nation is.
It's unclear at this stage whether a simple majority is enough to make the vote successful and oust the president, or if a larger share is required.
According to Article 17(2), a three-quarter vote is required to expel member nations from the organisation, which could be a precedent. However, according to Article 30(9), any vote not specifically expressed in the statutes, which a vote of no confidence is not, requires a simple majority.
"Unless otherwise stipulated in the Statutes, a simple majority (more than 50%) of the valid votes cast is sufficient for elections, votes and other decisions to be valid," the statute reads.
Who could replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA president?
If Gianni Infantino is indeed ousted as FIFA president, either by resignation or a vote of no confidence, a new presidential election would need to be held. There are a few candidates who could vie for his position.
According to reports, one contender who is emerging as a leading candidate is CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, who has been in charge of the North American confederation since 2016, serving as CONCACAF's representative on the FIFA executive committee since that time as well.
Reuters claims that Montagliani has been "making moves" to run against Infantino in the March 2027 election, but if the current president is booted from his position before then, Montagliani would be well-positioned to take over.
Other reports, including The Athletic, have claimed that UEFA were pushing for PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi for the position, but that he has "no interest" in standing for the position.
Another potential challenger could be AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who narrowly lost to Infantino in 2016, garnering 88 votes in the second round of action to Infantino's 115.