Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he doesn’t have confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino to lead world soccer’s governing body, after a now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Carney told reporters at an event in Toronto that keeping the sell-off plan a secret from senior FIFA staff was a “fatal” move on Infantino’s part and “not how you run any business … let alone something that is a global responsibility like football.”
“I’ve run a few organizations in my time,” the prime minister said. “The idea that proper governance is not to disclose to your closest advisers, your chief operating officer, your fellow board members, something of consequence that you’re even considering — let alone proposing — that’s fatal, should be fatal and you lose confidence in that individual.
“They (FIFA) have their own procedures for making those determinations, but certainly I don’t have confidence in Mr. Infantino after this point, given what transpired and given the nature of what transpired.”
Carney attended multiple matches and events with Infantino while Canada hosted this year’s recently-concluded World Cup along with the U.S. and Mexico.
His comments came as Infantino held a crisis meeting with senior FIFA officials in Morocco on Wednesday, widely seen as an effort to shore up support for his re-election bid next spring.
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also criticized Infantino’s move and questioned his leadership.
“I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” Burnham said Sunday. “The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable.”
Growing backlash
Infantino was forced into a backdown over his controversial plans to sell World Cup profits through a $20-billion commercial subsidiary that would run its top competitions.
Infantino’s plans fell apart after UEFA’s 55-member nations agreed last Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.
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On Saturday, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership, and CONCACAF said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.”
Canada Soccer has endorsed and shared CONCACAF’s statements on the issue, which a spokesperson pointed to when asked by Global News if it had also lost confidence in Infantino.
“Those statements which we continue to be aligned with, together with comments made today by Prime Minister Mark Carney, reflected broader concerns about the proposal and the process by which it has been advanced, and called for further review of FIFA’s governance, leadership, and accountability,” the Canada Soccer spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday.
“Our Board of Directors will review these matters next week at its upcoming board meeting and determine our organization’s appropriate next steps.”
Infantino finally announced he was abandoning the sell-off plan after his senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned last Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.
Carney praised Cordeiro as “a very high integrity individual” on Wednesday during his comments criticizing Infantino, adding he’s known him for over three decades.
Hours after Cordeiro’s resignation, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the “project of one person” must not continue.
“This move pretty much offended just about every single possible group inside of the footballing circle,” said Jules Boykoff, a political science professor at Pacific University in Portland, Ore., and the author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine.
“All of a sudden, Gianni Infantino’s continuation as the president of FIFA is very much in jeopardy. You’ve seen cracks in the edifice of power here. … A lot of sharks inside FIFA right now, they smell blood.”
Can Infantino survive until March?
The next FIFA presidential election is in March in Rabat, Morocco. The deadline for candidates to enter the presidential contest is Nov. 18, exactly four months ahead of the vote.
An “Extraordinary Congress” could be called if 43 or more FIFA member associations make a formal written request for one.
Morocco, which will co-host the next World Cup in 2030, has announced its continued support for Infantino along with Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Yet Alan McDougal, a professor of history at the University of Guelph, told Global News that Infantino’s once-solid chances for re-election have become much more uncertain.
“A week ago, he looked fairly impregnable — he had the support of most of the federations around the world, they’d promised to vote him back in,” he said.
“Now, in a week, it’s all just blown up. It’s a reminder to us all that politics can change pretty quickly.”
Both McDougal and Boykoff said Infantino’s relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump had already soured public and political opinion against the FIFA president, with many questioning his loyalties.
They pointed to giving Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize last December, as well as the overturning of a red card against U.S. striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup — at Trump’s behest — as events that have put Infantino in a vulnerable position.
The proposed private company for the World Cup would have included investments from a fund run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared.
“Infantino’s relationship with President Trump has done significant damage to his reputation, even before he decided to float this idea of private equity,” Boykoff said. “Hes cozied up to Trump in numerous ways that many people inside of the football world have found suspect.”
McDougal agreed, calling the red card decision in particular “shameful” and the moment where FIFA’s reputation as a neutral arbiter of soccer “was really kicked into the gutter.”
“This private equity sale idea might really be the end of it,” he said.
“He’s certainly on very thin ice at the moment.”
—With files from Global’s Touria Izri, the Associated Press and Reuters
Just when you think you’ve heard it all from Ben he excels with more whimsical nonsense.
The absurdity of tax payer dollars having to pay for the lions share of these games while fifa rakes in the profits is criminal.By all means privatize
Carney stood up to this powerful figure. Poilievre and his mentor Trump did not. The contrast in leadership styles makes many Canadians proud of Carney.
Where was his criticism when it mattered. Nowhere !!! Carney is an opportunist and is simply jumping on the bandwagon to gain political points with immigrants from countries where soccer is popular. He was sure happy to be seen in the president of Fifa’s exclusive box during the games.
No one should condone what Infantino wanted to do to the sport of soccer and I’m glad Carney made his view known. Politics has no place in sports as in what happened during the world cup with Trump but every world leader has the right to an opinion when there is obvious elitist attempt to make money from it and ruin a good sport.
Benoit: Carney is a follower, or did you miss the “joins in” but? All posturing for the Elbozos (m)asses.
Strong message?!? LMAO. You are so easily fooled it’s pathetic.
So Carney’s priorities are commenting on the FIFA thing but no comment on the botched Gordie Howe deal, or the Indian students who done the studies and must go home. As always, Carney is either uninformed on the subjects that actually matter, or just plain posturing. Or worse – playing dumb to hide the truth.
Thanks Global. Maybe you could get his opinion about pineapple on pizza too. We NEED to know!!!
Carney sends a strong message standing up for Canada while Poilievre stands down, scared of his mentor, Trump. Outrageous!
Carney does not understand football nor FIFA
Infantino is the best and the proof is in the fact that the low i.q leftist media is completely against him…this is sufficient proof to back Infantino!
So Carney’s priorities are commenting on the FIFA thing but no comment on the botched Gordie Howe deal, or the Indian students who done the studies and must go home. As always, Carney is either uninformed on the subjects that actually matter, or just plain posturing. Or worse – playing dumb to hide the truth.
Carney needs to put his nose into his own business.
Infantino could have easily had Carney on his side… the only mistake Infantino made was not having Brookfield at the party!
Soccer = boring
Is a game for slow minded people that find faster games like hockey to confusing to watch.
It’s a wonderful day when our PM speaks truth to power. And look! One of my comments has triggered the far right MAGA crowd! What an unexpected delectable treat on this fine summer day in Liberal Canada.
Benoît
August 5, 2026 at 11:51 pm
Fantastic to see the PM speaking on this important issue. Poilievre has nothing to say because his leader Trump is close to the head of the soccer organization.
Another id*ot. Another piece of g*rbage spouting g*rbage!
I didn’t realize Carney was an authority on soccer also. He knows everything.
When are we going to see pictures of Carney in Blackface like Trudeau ?
I mean the hypocrisy and cheap talk are the same,what dark secrets of the past are lurking in Carney’s closet ?
Carney is a total cheeseball and hypocrite.
Carney waited a few days to see public opinion and then decided to jump on the bandwagon. Absolutely pathetic.
Fantastic to see the PM speaking on this important issue. Poilievre has nothing to say because his leader Trump is close to the head of the soccer organization.
Carney is making these comments as he wants to reach out to new Immigrants to Canada as they typically watch soccer. He would not be doing it otherwise It is all for cheap political points.
Nobody listens to you Carney. We don’t care about your opinions about a soccer president.
Sorry Carney. I have no confidence in you. Didn’t you promise a trade deal with the USA now over a year ago?
The good line is “Carney joins In”. That is the truth. He waited to understand public opinion and then gave his opinion.
This must be affecting marky mark’s bottom line. What else could explain his complaining about a poor financial decision? He’s certainly greenlit enough poor financial decisions that affect the rest of us…
Carney is providing proper information for his budget. Ooops maybe he should not have thrown any stones. What about transparency? Again Carney talks the talk , doesn’t walk the walk.
Carney should be careful making statements like this. He has one scandal or misplay and people could turn the tables on him. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
If a crook like Carney is criticizing this, then you know its bad.
What does Carney know on this subject? I guess he saw that most were against so he jumped on the bandwagon. His opinion isn’t worth much.
“Carney says Canada involved ‘from the start’ in NATO intern spying case”
Yeah, keep trying to block me from speaking out against my government as is a right. Nothing will ever come of it. Everyone is perfectly safe and needn’t panic.
It was your right until you accepted the government bailout tgat continues to feed you.
I don’t have faith in my government but hey, traitors to democracy do.
Reality sucks
Why the f *ck are politicians even commenting on this?? F *uck off Carney.
Carney once again punches above Canada’s weight. Many leaders have already applauded this.
I do not have the confidence to believe that by the statement – “involved from the start”, with respect to the Canadian NATO intern that was arrested for spying, means he was involved with the investigation and arrest.
I think at best, he means he helped coordinating the arrest after the investigation was all but complete or worse, knew about it and did nothing.
Right? They sealed the findings of potential colusion with China and others for 100 years?
Those are not the actions of a government that intends to end potential collusion with China.
Carney the wise after the fact man, he seemed OK when he was entertaining Infantino at the Canadian taxpayers expense.
Where was his criticism when it mattered. Nowhere !!! Carney is an opportunist and is simply jumping on the bandwagon to gain political points.
Why is he even commenting on this. Also sir I have no confidence or trust of the Liberal MOB.