Image source, Getty Images

While Gianni Infantino has lost the support of several confederations and football associations, he still looks set to fight for re-election for a fourth term as Fifa president.

Ordinarily presidents can only serve three four-year terms, but Fifa say Infantino's first - which lasted three years between 2016 and 2019 - did not count as a full term.

The next election will be held at the Fifa Congress in Morocco in March 2027.

Rival candidates have until 18 November to put their names forward to stand against Infantino. He ran unopposed in both the 2019 and 2023 elections.

A candidate requires 106 votes from Fifa's 211 members to win.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

More from Oli Dugmore, on BBC Radio 5 Live about the money in football: "This World Cup made £15 billion in revenue for Fifa so it begs the question of how much more?

"I read some reporting from The Athletic that Infantino has become obsessed with the salaries of American sports league commissioners. That was the interesting thing about the whole Fifa Forward Enterprise plan - astute observers would have noticed the creation of the role commissioner who would be paid the salary of $30 million a year and would become available to Gianni Infantino at the end of his fourth term.

"You can understand the logic because so far, every attempt at further commodification and further commercialisation has been rubber-stamped at the end of the day.

"It starts with exploitative ticket prices - $1000 for a ticket to the World Cup final, nearly $40 grand, and hospitality packages for nearly $1 million.

"And then it affects the sporting side as well, he's happy to sell that too. He's happy to suspend the red card of Folarin Balogun and lift the suspension of Cristiano Ronaldo before the tournament.

"Or even, a game of two halves? Not anymore, a game of four quarters so Fox can show adverts."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Oli Dugmore, executive digital editor of the New Statesman, spoke to to BBC Radio 5 Live about the future of Fifa: "Where do we go from here? I think it's abundantly clear to me that Gianni Infantino should go. He's lost his credibility and he should resign. I don't think he has much political authority left - and I use the word political deliberately.

"But I've been thinking about this nostalgic view of football and I want to start with a quote -

'The whole game is riddled with corruption and the worst kind of shoddy commercialism because it has ceased to be a sport and remains only a spectacle'.

"That chap was writing about football for the London Evening Standard in February, 1925 about the transfer of Albert Pake which was quite controversial.

"So, it would be really comforting for us to say that Gianni Infantino, after prolonged exposure to American turbo capitalism has caught the disease, but if we're honest with ourselves then we have to look a lot closer to home and at the Premier League."

BBC 5 Live Breakfast

Former Uefa chief executive Lars Christer Olsson on Gianni Infantino's future as Fifa president: "I think I have to check with friends because the fight is starting and as I said before I don't think Infantino is going to lay down - so we'll have to see the activities the opponents are starting.

"They have to be more than 50% of the votes of 211 of course, but I think it will be a bumpy road right now because Infantino is going to fight so we will see what kind of support UEFA can create.

"This conflict between UEFA and FIFA is popping up from time to time, so I think the UEFA members' association have decided they will take a fight this time. But as we have seen before FIFA and their presidents also the last two, were quite good at mounting support when they needed it. So, it's difficult to predict."

Celestine Karoney
BBC Sport Africa

Speaking to the BBC after the FFE proposal emerged, football officials from Malawi and Uganda said Fifa investment had transformed the game both on and off the pitch, arguing such funding is vital given the financial realities facing many African nations.

"Malawi needs money. Malawi needs stadiums, our government cannot manage to give us even $1m (£740,000) every year for football," Malawi FA president Fleetwood Haiya told BBC’s Newsday programme in voicing his support for the FFE proposal.

"Our government is not able to make sure that they have medical supplies in hospitals [and] at the same time to look at football.”

But support for the project on the continent was not universal. Former Sierra Leone FA president and ex-Fifa Council member Isha Johansen was among African voices opposing it, warning it risked over-commercialising football asking, "what price does one have to pay in order to get to this elevated development for football in Africa?” Johansen urged African football chiefs to think carefully about the game's future.

Image source, Getty Images

While European governing body Uefa voted to boycott Fifa competitions, including World Cups, if plans weren't scrapped to sell stakes in those competitions to private investors, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) remained largely silent.

Much of that has to do with the close relationship between Caf, Fifa and Infantino.

Caf president Patrice Motsepe lauded Infantino for his "excellent work" after this year's World Cup and hailed the Swiss as "a good friend".

"He is loyal to Africa," Motsepe said on 22 July. "When people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back."

Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, which runs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, had all opposed Infantino's plan.

A lack of financial resources is a big reason for African member associations - many of whom rely on scant government funding - to back Fifa's proposals.

The lure of of $40m (£30m) from Fifa may have proven enticing to Caf's 54 member associations, especially as an initial $20m (£15m) could have been received as early as 1 January – provided the plans were approved by 19 September.

Celestine Karoney
BBC Sport Africa

South Africa's sports minister Gayton McKenzie has urged African football to resist what he called the "public lynching" of Fifa president Gianni Infantino. McKenzie added the continent should remember "who has been a friend to us" before joining calls for change.

McKenzie's support for Infantino echoes sentiments held by many African football bosses including Caf president Patrice Motsepe. Motsepe has previously described Infantino as "a good friend" who has been "loyal to Africa", although Caf never publicly stated its position on the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal before it was withdrawn.

Support for Infantino on the continent stems largely from Fifa's Forward programme, a funding scheme introduced by Infantino in 2016, that many African federations have become increasingly reliant on. The money has funded football projects from national teams, federation headquarters, stadiums to supporting FA operational costs in countries where government and commercial investment for the sport is limited.

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) holds its executive committee meeting today, with Infantino's investment plan on the agenda.

This has been overtaken by recent events to an extent, with Fifa having cancelled the initiative.

However, Caf could decide to publicly reaffirm its support for Infantino's re-election as Fifa president as a block of 54 member associations - which it first did in April.

Infantino's Fifa Forward programme has resulted in funding of $8m (£5.94m) for all nations in each three-year cycle. And that has earned a lot of loyalty.

Five of the seven African countries on the Fifa Council - Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania and Comoros - have already come out and backed Infantino.

While there remains strong opposition to Infantino within Europe and North America, this is not replicated globally and it shows why it will be so difficult to remove him.

Image source, Getty Images

Gianni Infantino, 56, was born and raised in Switzerland to Italian parents. Never a professional footballer, he studied law at university before moving into sports governance.

He joined Uefa in 2000 and spent 16 years at the organisation which now seeks his departure from Fifa. He was Uefa general secretary - in charge of daily business operations - between 2009 and 2016.

Following the dethroning of Sepp Blatter, Infantino was elected Fifa president in February 2016. He narrowly defeated Sheik Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain - who was generally regarded as favourite for the election - by 115 votes to 88.

Infantino was helped to become Fifa president by a block of votes from Concacaf, the North American federation, and has since worked closely with US president Donald Trump, who was first elected later in 2016.

Dan Roan
BBC sports editor

While UEFA are yet to respond officially to FIFA’s backing of Gianni Infantino & his apology to member associations, it is fair to say that some at the European confederation are deeply unimpressed, claiming it shows exactly why the beleaguered president must step down.

The feeling within Uefa is that the statement was far from representative of the entire world governing body, and that there has been a lack of consultation with the Council or membership.

There is also a view that Infantino is trying to swerve personal responsibility by sharing out the blame for the aborted FFE plan, and that he alone should have apologised, rather than issue his expression of regret alongside his deputy Mattias Grafstrom.

In stark contrast, within FIFA, the view from one Infantino loyalist is that the outcry, especially in Europe, is bordering on “hysteria”, and fails to acknowledge the legitimacy he has globally.

By clinging to power, Infantino has mounted the start of an attempted fightback. But it could yet fuel the revolt against him, both from outside and within FIFA. And it looks increasingly likely his opponents will have to identity the rival candidate that could challenge him at next year’s presidential election.

Image source, Getty Images

Uefa now has a problem, and it is not an insignificant hurdle to overcome.

Since Gianni Infantino performed his U-turn, only Concacaf as a confederation has criticised the Fifa president. But, unlike Uefa, it did not go as far as to say it had lost confidence in him.

While the Asian confederation did reject the plan, there has been no blanket statement since Infantino aborted it.

Uefa has a great deal of power, but it cannot realistically overthrow Infantino on its own. It needs more global support.

Outside of Europe, so far only Jordan - one of a handful of the 211 member associations not to have signed a letter of support for Infantino's re-election before this controversy - have publicly called for him to go.

The list of countries who have underscored their support is much longer - admittedly from within Infantino's firm power base in Asia and Africa.

In recent days Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, DR Congo and the Philippines have all backed Infantino.

Such countries have benefited from funding via Infantino's Fifa Forward programme, the forerunner to FFE, to the tune of $8m (£5.94m) in each three-year cycle.

Uefa has to find a way to persuade such countries that another presidential candidate can offer the same financial programmes, but with greater transparency and reform.

Infantino, however, already has their loyalty.

BBC Breakfast

Former England FA chief Mark Palios on BBC Breakfast about Infantino's future: "When you're in such a public-facing position, you do need your senior officials behind you and they have stood up and said they are not happy with what's gone on. He's done the first part. The battleground now moves to the confederations to stay with what they said.

"What he will try and do is play the long game and get to the elections. He does have cash in Fifa at the moment so there could be distributions to convince the smaller confederations."

On how Uefa may respond: "They will accept there is an apology but the reality is that they have to be really persuaded that Infantino can be in front of an organisation that can really heal itself.

"I don't think there was any real transparency in terms of this proposal. I can't believe that anyone who can bring forward such a proposal can believe it can heal itself. I think they will be extremely sceptical of the suggestion."

Gianna Infantino has the backing of Fifa executives - for now.

Before his abandoned private investment proposal, it was anticipated that the Swiss would be re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as Fifa president at the Fifa Congress in March.

Football associations around the world, including some in Europe, had already confirmed their intention to support the 56-year-old.

But sources say in addition to rejecting Infantino's plan, the vast majority of the Concacaf members are either losing faith in the Fifa president's ability to govern the game, or have lost it altogether.

Uefa has since withdrawn its support, while the Welsh FA became the first home nation to publicly do so. The English FA is expected to follow.

Support for Infantino in Africa is unlikely to have been affected, while the stance of nations in Asia and South America is unclear.

After emergency talks were held at Fifa's Africa office, Infantino continued with his duties as Fifa president and attended last night's Women's Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia.

He was pictured leaving the Stade El Barid in Rabat, Morocco after the game.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

FIFA

Following a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, the Fifa Secretary General and members of the Fifa Management Board in attendance reaffirmed their full support for Fifa President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 Fifa Member Associations. In turn, the Fifa President reiterated his full support for the Fifa Secretary General and the Fifa Administration for their necessary and outstanding work in the delivery of his vision.

It was discussed and agreed that the processes, communications and interactions between the Fifa President, the Fifa Secretary General and the Fifa Management Board that support the delivery of this vision can and should always be continuously improved in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency.

The great work of the Fifa Administration that ensured a successful delivery of the Fifa World Cup 2026™ was acknowledged, and which would not have been possible without the Fifa President, the Fifa Secretary General and Fifa Administration speaking as one voice and working as one team.

In this regard, Fifa’s top management is fully confident that the outcomes of today's meeting will strengthen Fifa's governance, help restore confidence in the organisation and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner while continuing our mission to develop the game around the world.

The meeting also addressed the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, where mistakes made were acknowledged. It was agreed that it was not the intention for the Fifa Council and Fifa Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently. It was further acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.

In a separate letter to the Fifa Council and Fifa Member Associations, an apology was made for these errors together with a commitment to ensure they do not happen again. A review will now be conducted, and a report will be presented to the Fifa Council at its next scheduled meeting.

As previously communicated, the FFE proposal, which would have been subject to the approval of the Fifa Member Associations and the Fifa Council, is now off the table. With the project withdrawn, it was agreed that Fifa will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation. There are always lessons to be learned, and Fifa will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done was done in full compliance with the Fifa regulatory framework.

Fifa will work closely with the relevant stakeholders to examine how it can further support the development of the game through the Fifa Forward programme for the benefit of Fifa’s 211 Member Associations, the Confederations and the Regional Associations.

Wednesday, 5 August

• Infantino apologises for his "errors" and receives backing of senior Fifa executives at a management board meeting in Rabat, Morocco