New approach: The Swiss will reappear this Wednesday in Rabat, in

On Wednesday, August 12th could be a key date to define the future of Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA who went from euphoria and smiles after the 2026 World Cup to a delicate balance to hold onto his position after the failed attempt to create a commercial society called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The project proposed to set up a company to manage FIFA's most valuable commercial assets (the World Cup, the Club World Cup, and other competitions) and sell 20 percent of that company in an operation valued at around $20 billion.

Power claims more power, and the excessive ambition of the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian was the last straw that exposed a rebellion that had undoubtedly been quietly brewing for some time. Infantino's main adversaries today are Aleksander Ceferin, the head of UEFA, and Nasser Al Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint Germain and the European Club Football Association (EFC), an entity that represents over 800 teams. Both will coincide in Salzburg for the UEFA Super Cup final between PSG and Aston Villa, and there they could define moves, including a potential boycott of the 2029 Club World Cup.

The possible summit in Austria was revealed by the British medium TalkSport. What is reported aligns with what is already known: Ceferin aims for Infantino not to continue leading FIFA. However, to achieve this, he needs to gather support. And in politics and football boardrooms, that depends on lobbying capacity and what one has to offer.

It is presumed that the 55 federations that are part of UEFA are aligned against Infantino. However, so far, only Finland, Wales, Serbia, Sweden, and Romania have officially communicated, through statements or social media posts, their intention for a change in FIFA's leadership. It is expected that in the coming days, heavyweight actors like Germany and England will join.

Therefore, what could happen in Austria is Ceferin asking for even greater support from his friend Al Khelaifi. What would that support entail? That some of the 800+ European clubs united in the EFC begin publicly speaking out against Infantino.

One possibility being considered is that European teams refuse to participate in the 2029 Club World Cup, which still has no defined date or venue. And there is a detail that is not minor: FIFA has not yet paid the clubs the direct payments or those related to the solidarity mechanism for the 2025 edition. Infantino's supporters are quick to point out, "A boycott is not possible because the tournament has not been presented yet."

The leaders seeking to oust Gianni have two paths: wait for FIFA's regular Congress, scheduled for March 2027 in Morocco, a country close to the current president, or push for an extraordinary Congress before that. To convene it, they need the support of at least 43 of the 211 affiliated federations or half of the 37 members of FIFA's Council, which includes the president of the AFA, Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia. However, removing Infantino requires gathering the majority of votes at that Congress. The recent joint opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Confederation to the privatization project showed that the president no longer has the unanimous support of past times, although he still retains heavyweight allies, including Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait, and Lebanon.

The outlook, thus, is not encouraging for Infantino. Is it true that the Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, is the most consensual candidate to take over FIFA's throne? Or could the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, former footballer Lise Klaveness, supported by former president Joseph Blatter, start gaining ground? And a question: where do CONMEBOL and Claudio Tapia stand in this scenario?

Infantino is backed against the ropes and no longer smiles as he did during the World Cup. Therefore, a week may be enough for new developments capable of altering the global football political landscape to emerge from Austria.

Several U.S. cities that hosted matches during the 2026 World Cup are claiming millions of dollars that, they affirm, FIFA promised them, reported The Athletic on Tuesday. Four executives from host cities, who spoke with the outlet anonymously, stated that FIFA officials told them each city would receive a million dollars in "legacy" funds to build soccer-related infrastructure and support "social projects."

The Athletic reported that city officials requested the payments after Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, announced similar contributions for host cities of the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States.

"According to four executives from U.S. host city organizing committees, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their relationships, FIFA leadership repeatedly assured the cities that they would receive the same million-dollar contribution for legacy projects, although the organization never made a public announcement about it," The Athletic wrote.

"The four executives said this promise was verbally made by top FIFA officials and reiterated to the cities in various meetings, but the money has not been disbursed, so several cities are now requesting updates from FIFA staff on those payments."

The U.S. cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, and New York/New Jersey were among the hosts of the World Cup held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nuevo enfoque: El suizo reaparecerá este miércoles en Rabat, en