Gianni Infantino Faces Strongest Challenge Yet from Germany
Gianni Infantino’s grip on power at Fifa is facing its fiercest challenge yet – and Germany are leading the revolt.
The Fifa president has been accused by German FA (DFB) chief Bernd Neuendorf of using his newly announced reform push as nothing more than a tactic to survive and secure another term.
Reform letter sparks backlash
Under intense pressure 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, Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations and Fifa Council members on Monday night.
In that letter, seen by multiple media outlets, he proposed an “independent external review of Fifa's current governance framework” and insisted that his attempted sell-off had never put “Fifa's democratic processes, independence and sporting authority” up for sale.
The timing, though, has set alarm bells ringing across Europe.
Neuendorf, one of Infantino’s most vocal critics, dismissed the move in blunt terms.
“I regard Gianni Infantino's letter as a transparent ploy to secure his re-election next year,” he said on Tuesday, making clear that the DFB sees strategy, not repentance, behind the president’s words.
“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.”
Uefa turns up the heat
Infantino’s position has been badly weakened in recent weeks. Uefa has driven calls for him to resign, even threatening to boycott Fifa competitions. Several Uefa member associations have already withdrawn their backing for the Swiss-Italian’s re-election bid.
Resistance is no longer confined to Europe. Opposition has also emerged from the Asian confederation and from Concacaf, which represents nations in North and Central America and the Caribbean, leaving Infantino increasingly isolated.
Yet he remains in office, clinging on and now pitching himself as the man to overhaul the very system he has been accused of abusing.
Germany breaks ranks
Germany’s stance has been clear for months. Long before the latest World Cup-related scandals erupted, the DFB had already stepped away from Infantino.
“The DFB has not signed a letter of support for the re-election of Gianni Infantino,” the federation stated back in July, adding that “further steps will be discussed in the DFB presidential board.”
Those “further steps” now look more like open resistance.
Former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff underlined just how far trust in the Fifa president 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.”
The battle lines are drawn ahead of the Fifa presidential election in March 2027. Infantino is asking the world to let him fix the house he helped set on fire. Germany, and a growing bloc behind it, are no longer convinced he should be anywhere near the blueprint.
