Global football summit proposed to shape post-Infantino FIFA before picking election challenger

The Netherlands want to host an emergency summit of global football leaders to form plans to clean up the governing body, including reducing the president's powers, before a candidate is picked to try to unseat Gianni Infantino.

Sky News understands a key initial proposal from the Royal Dutch Football Association to reform FIFA is for the next president to have no responsibility for the day-to-day management of the global governing body.

The Dutch are reflecting a growing belief in world football of a need to significantly reduce the control of the president over FIFA to prevent a repeat of the World Cup sell-off plans that were secretly negotiated by Mr Infantino.

But while support is draining for Mr Infantino in Europe and North America, in particular, he is still rallying backers from football associations in other parts of the world ahead of the election in March.

The deadline for candidates is 18 November.

Sources say FAs opposed to Mr Infantino are planning to put one candidate up against him to prevent the vote splitting.

But if Mr Infantino resigned earlier, there could be multiple candidates in the presidential election.

The Dutch FA has written to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin proposing an International Summit on the Future of FIFA in Amsterdam to shape a new vision for the governing body before selecting a candidate.

It indicates why UEFA has not rushed to propose a potential successor to Mr Infantino.

The Dutch FA said in a separate statement: "The 2027 presidential election should not only be about who leads FIFA. First, we need to determine what kind of FIFA we want. Then we can identify the leadership needed to deliver that change."

Reforms after the downfall of Sepp Blatter in 2015 - shaped by Mr Infantino before he was a FIFA candidate - were intended to curb the president's powers.

But he quickly quashed moves to be paid less than the secretary general in an overhauled FIFA structure and have no influence over commercial contracts.

The accumulation of executive powers eventually led to Mr Infantino secretly negotiating selling shares in the World Cup to private investors.

The Dutch FA has provided the most detailed framework to discuss transforming FIFA, while insisting the outcome should not be a "European plan" but one developed with all six confederations and 211 member associations.

"FIFA should not depend on one individual," the Dutch FA said. "The President, FIFA Council, Congress and Secretary-General each have their own role and responsibility.

"The President represents and unites. The Council governs and supervises. Congress decides. The Secretary-General leads the organisation.

"This requires greater transparency, independent oversight and room for critical voices."

The scandal this week led to UEFA revealing plans to bring a criminal case against him in Switzerland for mismanagement, launching initial action in the United States to gather evidence from FIFA and the proposed investors.

But UEFA has frozen plans to boycott FIFA competitions, starting with the Under-20s Women's World Cup next week after receiving assurances the sell-off plan would not be revived.

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However, it can be revealed it was not Mr Infantino who provided the apparent guarantees but the official who leads administration functions: Mattias Grafstrom.

A FIFA spokesperson told Sky News: "The FIFA Secretary General confirmed, in a letter to all Confederation General Secretaries, dated 6 August 2026, that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project had been irrevocably and permanently withdrawn and will not re-appear in any other shape, construction, name or form."

FIFA has provided no comment on the legal action being launched against Mr Infantino and other officials at the governing body.

(c) Sky News 2026: Global football summit proposed to shape post-Infantino FIFA before picking election challenge