Michel Platini publicly called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign on August 30, citing multiple scandals connected to FIFA and the recent World Cup [1, 2, 3, 4]. Platini accused the 56-year-old Infantino of failing to respect the rules of football, saying, "Economic affairs are one thing but Infantino has failed because he is the guarantor of the rules of the game and he didn’t respect them" [1].
Platini highlighted controversial aspects of the World Cup, including hydration breaks lasting up to four minutes used for advertising, an excessively long 30-minute halftime show in the final, and the suspension of a red card ban for American player Folarin Balogun following a phone call from US President Donald Trump to Infantino [1, 2, 3, 4]. "The ad breaks are not in the rules, the 30-minute half-time break in the final is not in the rules, and the red card, that’s the worst," Platini said [3]. He added, "He’s the guarantor (of the rules), he doesn’t respect them, he must go" [2].
Under Infantino’s leadership, FIFA pushed the FIFA Forward Enterprises plan aimed at attracting private investment but faced harsh criticism. UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments unless Infantino cancels this plan and has accused him of criminal mismanagement related to private financing [1, 2, 3, 4]. Other regional bodies including CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have joined UEFA’s pressure on Infantino [1, 2, 3, 4].
Platini, who stepped down from UEFA presidency in 2016 after being accused of fraud in 2015 but was acquitted in 2025, said legal action would be UEFA’s path to remove Infantino. "It won’t be sporting institutions that sort this out and bring him down. If UEFA wants to bring down Infantino, it will be through the courts," he stated [1, 2, 3, 4]. Platini is also suing Infantino and former FIFA officials for allegedly conspiring to block his 2015 FIFA presidential bid [4].
Infantino, 56, hopes to run for re-election as FIFA president in March 2027 [1, 2, 3, 4]. FIFA has not responded to media requests for comment concerning Infantino [3].
