Gianni Infantino has received fresh backing from several football bodies after a week of intense criticism over FIFA’s abandoned private investment plan. However, the FIFA president also faces growing calls to resign.

The 56-year-old Italian-Swiss lawyer still faces a serious challenge to his position.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Mexican Football Federation and the Argentinian Football Association have backed his leadership.

However, European football’s governing body UEFA has taken a much tougher position.

UEFA Renews Pressure on Infantino

FIFA had proposed raising up to $4.2 billion through a new commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

The proposed company would have managed major events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup.

FIFA based the plan on a valuation of about $20 billion.

Infantino eventually shelved the proposal after strong opposition from several football bodies.

UEFA has emerged as one of his strongest critics.

Infantino served as UEFA secretary-general from 2009 to 2016. The relationship has since deteriorated sharply.

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UEFA said last week that it had lost confidence in the FIFA president.

The European body repeated that position on Thursday.

It has also threatened to consider a boycott of future World Cups.

UEFA’s warning reportedly played an important role in Infantino’s decision to withdraw the investment proposal.

Norway Calls for FIFA President to Quit

The Norwegian Football Federation has gone further than UEFA.

Its president, Lise Klaveness, said Norway would ask Infantino to resign.

“We are going to ask the FIFA president to resign now,” Klaveness said on Friday.

Infantino is unlikely to accept the demand.

He is expected to continue his campaign for a fourth and final term at the FIFA election in Rabat next March.

He currently remains the only declared candidate.

The nomination deadline falls on November 18.

FIFA also has a mechanism that allows an extraordinary congress to consider a no-confidence vote against the president.

Klaveness Rejects Succession Talk

Klaveness has emerged as a potential successor in discussions around FIFA’s future leadership.

If elected, she would become the first woman to lead world football.

However, she told AFP that personal ambition did not influence her call for Infantino’s resignation.

“We’re not there yet,” Klaveness said.

She stressed that her focus remained on the issues surrounding FIFA rather than individual political ambitions.

The Norwegian official also rejected questions about whether she could seek the presidency.

CONCACAF Remains Silent

Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, has also emerged as a possible challenger to Infantino.

CONCACAF represents football associations across North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The organisation had strongly criticised FIFA’s handling of the investment plan.

It previously called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency”.

However, CONCACAF has not issued a fresh statement since FIFA announced the outcome of its emergency meeting in Morocco.

The Asian Football Confederation also criticised the handling of the investment proposal.

Like CONCACAF, the AFC has remained quiet since FIFA’s latest statement.

Reports also suggested that some senior FIFA officials had learned about the investment proposal before the World Cup final last month.

Infantino Still Has Powerful Allies

Despite the criticism, Infantino retains important support.

Mexico, one of the hosts of the recent World Cup, has publicly backed him.

“The FMF supports president Infantino’s leadership,” the Mexican Football Federation said.

The Confederation of African Football also reaffirmed its support.

CAF’s executive committee unanimously backed Infantino after a meeting on Thursday.

The decision will likely please South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie.

McKenzie had urged African football officials to oppose what he described as a “public lynching” of Infantino.

Election Battle Could Define FIFA’s Future

Infantino has spent much of the recent crisis in Morocco, where the country is preparing to co-host the 2030 World Cup.

He has since travelled to Colombia for the inauguration of president Abelardo de la Espriella.

The FIFA president now faces a difficult political battle before next year’s election.

His supporters argue that he retains broad backing across several confederations.

His critics, led by UEFA and Norway, want major changes in FIFA leadership and governance.

The collapse of the investment plan has exposed a widening divide within world football.

Whether that dispute turns into a serious challenge to Infantino’s fourth-term ambitions could become one of FIFA’s biggest political battles ahead of the March election.