Football fans fight back as official petition made to get Infantino removed as FIFA President

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FT Desk

The Football Supporters' Association, the representative body for football supporters in England and Wales, has started an official petition to demand Gianni Infantino's removal as FIFA President.

Infantino is facing growing pressure over a controversial plan to sell a stake in FIFA’s future World Cup revenues to private investors. The proposal sparked a backlash from several football confederations and was eventually withdrawn, while a number of FIFA officials have questioned Infantino’s leadership.

The proposal was known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise.

The timing is particularly significant as Infantino seeks a fourth term as FIFA president in 2027. His critics accuse him of a lack of transparency and consultation, with talk of a possible vote of no confidence adding to the pressure.

The reaction from furious confederations mirrored that of most football fans - and now the fans themselves are taking action as the FSA has started a new petition on Change.org to campaign for his removal.

"Football belongs to the people who fill the stadiums, follow their clubs and national teams through triumphs and heartbreaks, travel across countries and continents, pass the game from one generation to the next and keep it alive every day of the year," a statement form the associated reads.

"Yet, one man seems to believe that he is more important than football.

"Today, supporter organisations representing hundreds of millions of fans across every continent are launching a worldwide petition calling for Gianni Infantino to resign and for FIFA to be rebuilt so that the current debacle can never happen again.

"The shameful attempt by one individual – the FIFA President himself – to sell off the World Cup to private investors exposed a betrayal football will never forget.

"Infantino’s plan was stitched together in secret. Negotiated behind closed doors. Hidden from FIFA’s own members and from the millions of people whose passion makes football what it is.

It was a betrayal.

"Football stopped him. But the collapse of the so-called FIFA Forward Entreprise is only the culmination of a series of attacks lead by Infantino against football. From his clandestine involvement in the European Super League to the defunct two-years World Cup cycle project, from the extortionate ticketing policy at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the culture of intimidation and personal power that he developed within international football, Gianni Infantino has betrayed his office and football as a whole.

"Enough.

"Now is the time for a wider movement to stop Gianni Infantino once and for all from abusing the office of FIFA President, and to restore trust in the very institution that is supposed to protect and develop world football."

The petition has already been signed by the following organisations:

Continental supporter organisations:

Football Supporters Africa (Africa)

Football Supporters Europe (Europe)

Independent Supporters Council (North America)

National supporter organisations:

Associação Nacional de Torcidas Organizadas – ANATORG (Brazil)

Associação Portuguesa de Defesa do Adepto (Portugal)

Association Nationale des Supporters (France)

Association of Tartan Army Clubs (Scotland)

BAFF (Germany)

Brigata Mai 1 Gioia (San Marino)

Camp Sweden (Sweden)

Confederation of Republic of Ireland Supporters Clubs (Republic of Ireland)

Curva Sud Indonesia (Indonesia)

Danske Fodboldfans (Denmark)

F_in Frauen im Fußball (Germany)

Fans’ Embassy Italy (Italy)

Fans’ Embassy Spain (Spain)

Fans’ Embassy Switzerland (Switzerland)

Fans’ Embassy Ukraine (Ukraine)

FASFE – Accionistas y Socios del Fútbol Español (Spain)

Football Supporters Association Australia (Australia)

Football Supporters’ Association (England)

FSA Cymru – Fans’ Embassy Wales (Wales)

Irish Supporters Network (Republic of Ireland)

Irrésistibles Français (France)

Komagebi 2010 (Georgia)

Norsk Supporterallianse (Norway)

Open Stadiums (Iran)

Pride In Football (England)

Queer Football Fanclubs (Germany)

Supporters Direct Scotland (Scotland)

Skansin (Faroe Islands)

Suomen Maajoukkueen Kannattajat ry (Finland)

Supporterscollectief Nederland (Netherlands)

Svenska Fotbollssupporterunionen (Sweden)

Team 54 (Gibraltar)

The Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs (Northern Ireland)

The Flying Kiwis FC (New Zealand)

The Voyageurs (Canada)

Three Lions Pride (England)

Tifozat Kuq e Zi (Albania)

Unsere Kurve (Germany)

You Boys In Green Independent Supporters Mandate (Republic of Ireland)