Soccer-CONCACAF chief Montagliani considering FIFA presidency challenge to Infantino, report says

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a potential challenge from North American football chief Victor Montagliani in next March's election, amid growing opposition to Infantino's leadership.

North American football chief Victor ​Montagliani is "making moves" towards challenging ​Gianni Infantino for the ‌FIFA presidency ​in next March's election, The i Paper reported on Friday, citing sources. The report comes ‌amid growing scrutiny of Infantino, who is facing the first significant challenge to his leadership after FIFA's proposal to sell a stake in the ‌World Cup drew widespread opposition from major regional confederations.

Infantino said ‌in April he would seek a fourth term as FIFA president, with the election for the 2027-2031 cycle scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18 ⁠next ​year. The Swiss-Italian executive ⁠had enjoyed strong backing from national federations until this week when plans to ⁠create a $20-billion subsidiary linked to football's flagship tournament triggered a shift in ​sentiment among some stakeholders.

Reuters has contacted CONCACAF for comment. At a meeting ⁠on Thursday, CONCACAF's 41 member associations rejected FIFA's proposal but stopped short of ⁠backing ​UEFA's call for a boycott, while the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said it would review the plan before deciding its position.

The North ⁠American, Central American and Caribbean confederation said members had expressed "deep concerns" over ⁠the lack ⁠of due process, a compressed timeline and the absence of review or approval by FIFA's relevant governance bodies.