UEFA vice president seeks ‘custodian of ⁠sport’ after FIFA-Infantino furore

What the report says

UEFA vice president Laura McAllister has sharpened criticism of FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the world governing body tries to contain fallout from his abandoned plan to create a commercial subsidiary and sell a stake in future World Cup revenue. Speaking in interviews cited by Reuters and Deutsche Welle, McAllister said any future FIFA leader should act as a “custodian” of football and help unite the sport across regions and constituencies.

The comments follow a FIFA leadership meeting in Rabat, where officials again backed Infantino, apologised to member associations over mistakes tied to the investment proposal, and said the processes involved would be reviewed. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, that response is unlikely to end the broader debate over FIFA governance ahead of the organisation’s next presidential election in March.

McAllister argued that finding a serious challenger to Infantino would be difficult because a candidate would need support well beyond Europe. She also called for deeper reforms to make football leadership more democratic and less dominated by powerful individuals or closed networks. Her remarks reflect continuing tensions between UEFA and FIFA over decision-making, transparency and the commercial direction of the game.

In background, FIFA has faced recurring criticism in recent years over governance and institutional reform, while the debate around World Cup-linked revenues underscores the financial stakes involved in global football planning.