Monday 27 July
A swipe at fake news
Gianni Infantino marks the end of the World Cup by taking to Instagram with a 15-page post calling out the media for trying to sully it. He says it was a month of “joy and happiness”, and “those sitting behind their pens and papers, behind their screens, spreading hate and false rumours” about greed and his relationship with Donald Trump had let themselves down – “while we at Fifa are on the frontlines, working hard”. He says journalists should step back and instead “take a moment to reflect, meditate, pray or watch a match”.
Tuesday 28 July
Advice not taken
Hours later, a report in the Times exposes Infantino’s secret £3.1bn plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, potentially earning him tens of millions of pounds. The deal involves the brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Politicians and football figures attack it – including a surprise intervention from the former Fifa president Sepp Blatter. He tweets his discomfort that “the financial dimension is deeply damaging football”.
Wednesday 29 July
First response
As outrage spreads, Infantino tries to cool the mood, admitting the scheme is real but saying it is also just a “proposal, an offer … part of a democratic process, a consultation”. It later emerges that Fifa has given its 211 member associations a deadline of 19 September to back it or lose their £15m cut. Concacaf says it was “only made aware of this matter through media reports”, while Uefa accuses Fifa officials of “using our sport to enrich themselves and their friends”.
Thursday 30 July
Uefa bares teeth
After the Guardian exposes the full details of the plan drawn up by Fifa and the US bank JP Morgan – which calls Fifa “undermonetized” – Uefa holds an emergency meeting. All 55 members agree to boycott Fifa competitions if the plan goes ahead. Other football bodies join the backlash, while, in the US, a senior Democrat warns Fifa could face a congressional investigation. Jamie Raskin calls it “a smash-and-grab scam of colossal proportions”.
Friday 31 July
Potus puts some distance
Hours after Fifa’s own chief operating officer slates the proposal, Andy Burnham becomes the first head of a major nation to call on Infantino to resign. Trump, meanwhile, says he has nothing to do with it: “I never spoke to him.” In response to the global coverage, Fifa condemns journalists: “Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation … Nobody is selling football.”
Saturday 1 August
On second thoughts
Fifa doesn’t proceed with the consultation. Infantino instead issues a new statement, withdrawing the plan “having listened carefully to all the views”. But Uefa still ups the pressure on him, saying the Fifa leadership has “lost our confidence … We must identify those responsible and hold them to account … No option should be off the table.” There is one voice of support, though. Qatar’s FA says it “fully supports president Infantino’s efforts to continue growing and strengthening the game”.
Sunday 2 August
Trump won’t pick up
A rebellion appears to begin among members of the Fifa council, while European countries discuss withdrawing longstanding letters of support for Infantino’s re-election. Elsewhere, the New York Post claims Infantino has “repeatedly tried” to call Trump for help, but Trump isn’t answering. And @SeppBlatter posts another disappointed tweet: “Money matters, but it must never become everything. #GianniInfantino”
Monday 3 August
Lawyers send letters
The coordinated withdrawal of support begins. England, Wales and Serbia join Finland and Sweden in demanding change at the top. Meanwhile, lawyers acting for Uefa order Infantino and his staff to preserve all documents related to the collapsed scheme, saying Uefa is “considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints”. The Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, emerges as a leading contender to challenge for the job.
Tuesday 4 August
Mattias turns
More key allies distance themselves from the Fifa president, including his No 2, Mattias Grafström, who calls the plan a “sad and reproachable series of events” in a leaked email to staff. Greece pulls support from Infantino, while Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein accuses Infantino’s administration of “blackmail”, alleging that Fifa threatened to withhold financial assistance from his federation if it refused to back the president’s bid for re-election.
Wednesday 5 August
Wagons circle
Infantino reacts, calling a Fifa staff crisis meeting in Morocco. Fifa then issues a statement saying staff gave him their unanimous backing while also putting his critics on notice: “It was agreed that Fifa will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity.” The former Portugal star Luís Figo, meanwhile, writes in the Daily Mail that “Infantino has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest … It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.”
Thursday 6 August
Having none of it
Responding to the Fifa statement about its staff meeting, Uefa doubles down on its boycott threat. It adds: “Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the Fifa president (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing.” The global players’ union, Fifpro, meanwhile, says that while Infantino’s scheme is gone, “the abuse of power that produced it is not … Reforms, not a cover-up, are urgently needed.”
Friday 7 August
Battle lines drawn
Allies begin to surface as Mexico and Argentina follow Africa’s governing body in rallying round – but others join the backlash. Norway’s FA calls for him to go and makes a new ethics complaint against Infantino on multiple fronts, including over his alleged breaches of Fifa’s rules on political neutrality. Infantino, meanwhile, takes a mini- break, arriving in Colombia for the inauguration of the hard-right president Abelardo de la Espriella, a key Trump ally. Infantino tells an audience there: “It is a joy to be here today. Football is joy, football is happiness, football is unity.”
