A contested leadership
Véron Mosengo-Omba, a longtime confidant of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has publicly declared that he would “take a bullet” for the Swiss‑born leader, insisting that the organization’s congress continues to back him despite a growing coalition of European and other confederations demanding his removal.
The criticism comes from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, which jointly published an open letter accusing Infantino of seeking personal control over the governing body rather than steering football’s global development.
The financial stakes
Adding to the tension, FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was dismissed after openly questioning the contentious FIFA Forward Enterprise, a scheme that would hand over a 21 % slice of World Cup commercial rights to private investors and promise a redistribution of more than $10 billion to the 211 member associations.
While Mosengo-Omba acknowledges flaws in the execution of the Forward Enterprise, he defends Infantino’s overall vision, comparing the plan to the way UEFA independently sells rights for the Champions League and the European Championship.
A possible way forward
He has now floated an alternative model that would let confederations purchase a stake in the World Cup, generating an annual $20 million pool that could be funneled into development programmes in member nations, a proposal that would be especially welcome in his home country of Congo, where financial constraints have long hampered progress.
The financial pressure on smaller federations underscores why the debate over revenue distribution is more than symbolic; it is a matter of survival for football’s grassroots in emerging markets.
UEFA is pushing to convene an emergency FIFA congress to force a vote of no confidence, but insiders note that securing the required 106‑member majority may prove difficult, leaving the outcome far from certain.