Germany Leads Challenge Against Gianni Infantino's Fifa Reforms

Gianni Infantino’s grip on power at Fifa is facing one of its fiercest public challenges yet – and Germany are leading the revolt.

The Fifa president, already under intense pressure after being forced to scrap a controversial plan to sell a 20 per cent stake in Fifa tournaments to private investors, has tried to reset the agenda with a sweeping promise of reform. The response from Germany? Cold, blunt, and unforgiving.

Infantino’s reform pitch

On Monday evening, Infantino sent a letter to all 211 member associations and Fifa Council members, outlining what he framed as a new path forward.

At the heart of it was a proposal for an “independent external review of Fifa’s current governance framework”. The message was clear: Fifa would open itself up to scrutiny.

He also insisted that the abandoned sell-off plan had never put “Fifa’s democratic processes, independence and sporting authority” up for sale, despite the global backlash that forced him to retreat.

The letter was quickly circulated and reported by multiple media outlets. It was meant to calm the storm.

Instead, it lit a fresh fuse in Germany.

DFB: “A transparent ploy”

DFB president Bernd Neuendorf did not bother with diplomatic language.

“I regard Gianni Infantino’s letter as a transparent ploy to secure his re-election next year,” he said on Tuesday, cutting straight to the heart of the matter with the Fifa presidential election looming in March 2027.

For Neuendorf, the problem is not the idea of reform. It is the man proposing it.

“Fundamentally, Fifa now seems to have recognised that changes are essential. However, Gianni Infantino is definitely not the right person to lead a reform process. He has squandered all credibility.”

That word – credibility – has become the fault line. Infantino wants to be seen as the architect of a new era. Germany are painting him as the symbol of the old one.

Europe turns up the heat

Neuendorf’s intervention comes against a backdrop of mounting international resistance.

Uefa has already led calls for Infantino to resign, even threatening a boycott of Fifa competitions. Several European associations have formally withdrawn their support for his re-election, a remarkable step against a sitting Fifa president.

The discontent is not limited to Europe. Opposition has also surfaced in the Asian confederation and Concacaf, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Infantino, though, continues to cling to office, leaning on his global backing outside Europe and trying to rebuild bridges with talk of reviews and governance reform.

Germany are not buying it.

Long-standing distrust in Germany

The DFB’s stance did not emerge overnight. The German federation had already refused to endorse Infantino earlier this year, even before the latest World Cup-related scandals intensified the scrutiny around Fifa’s leadership.

“The DFB has not signed a letter of support for the re-election of Gianni Infantino,” the governing body stated back in July. “Further steps will be discussed in the DFB presidential board.”

That was the warning shot. Neuendorf’s latest comments feel like the escalation.

Former Germany national team director Oliver Bierhoff has echoed that loss of faith, framing the issue as something bigger than one presidency.

“We have to take care of football,” he said. “It is already commercial but it is a property for all of football. The world views may be different but in the last weeks and months a lot happened so that we have no trust any more that it will be going in the right direction.”

Trust, once gone, rarely returns quickly in politics. In football politics, it can decide who survives the next election.

A presidency under siege

Infantino’s abandoned sell-off scheme has become the symbol of everything his critics fear: the encroaching power of private money, the erosion of sporting authority, and a Fifa hierarchy that, in their eyes, treats football as an asset class rather than a shared game.

His promise of an external review is designed to show humility and openness. Neuendorf and the DFB see something else – a tactical move to buy time and votes ahead of March 2027.

The battle lines are clear. A Fifa president fighting to stay in control. A major European powerhouse openly questioning his legitimacy. Uefa sharpening its stance. Other confederations beginning to stir.

Reform is coming to Fifa. The question now is whether Gianni Infantino will be the one writing it – or the one it is written about.