On Friday, fans voicing their discontent with FIFA President Gianni Infantino took their protest to Times Square, targeting the soccer executive with a massive billboard. They urged soccer federations to prevent him from participating in matches and tournaments.
This digital billboard, which lit up at 6 a.m. at Broadway and West 43rd Street, displayed messages like “FIFA DESERVES A LEADER NOT A DEALER” and “SOCCER CONFEDERATIONS: REMOVE INFANTINO.”
The demonstration coincides with increasing dissatisfaction regarding Infantino’s management of FIFA. There’s been a notable backlash, particularly after his controversial proposal to engage outside investors in a commercial offshoot of FIFA faced significant opposition and ultimately failed. That plan could have potentially raised up to $4.2 billion, looking at a valuation of around $20 billion.
Recently, reports indicated that Infantino canceled a scheduled speech at a dinner attended by influential figures from Wall Street.
Infantino has faced criticism following the fallout from his FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, which was met with strong resistance from UEFA and its member associations. They claimed the plan was developed without adequate consultation.
The anger among regional governing bodies escalated to the point where they threatened to withdraw their national teams from FIFA competitions if the proposal remained active.
UEFA is currently pursuing evidence from Josh Kushner through U.S. federal courts, which relates to a possible criminal complaint in Switzerland regarding alleged mismanagement tied to the initiative.
FIFA has denied any illegal actions and described the legal actions as a “smear campaign.” To date, no legal body has determined that Infantino criminally mismanaged FIFA or gained personal benefits from the abandoned project.
The fans behind the billboard are accusing Infantino of trying to “sell international football,” demanding that soccer’s governing bodies act against him.
In a statement, they expressed, “We are football fans first and foremost and believe we echo the feelings of fans everywhere regarding Infantino and the threat he poses to the future of football.”
They went on to criticize his attempts to involve external investors and highlighted concerns over his relationship with former President Donald Trump, including FIFA’s decision to award Trump its inaugural Peace Prize in December 2025.
“Gianni Infantino is not a leader, he is a dealer who tried to sell the World Cup and, even more troubling, the children’s World Cup,” the group claimed.
They further alleged that he has “deceived, blackmailed, and threatened” FIFA officials, implying he might have stood to benefit from such dealings.
Former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein accused the organization’s leadership of “blackmail” after Jordan’s FA was left unpaid for their achievement in reaching the finals of the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar last December.
He mentioned being told during the World Cup that supporting Infantino could significantly assist his federation.
This protest underscores the growing public dissent facing Infantino as he prepares to run for another term as FIFA president in 2027.
Infantino is anticipated to attend the opening match of the Women’s Under-20 World Cup on Saturday, where he may encounter a hostile response from fans.
In April, Infantino confirmed his intention to run for reelection.
Following his first win in February 2016, which completed his predecessor Sepp Blatter’s interrupted term, FIFA contends that the subsequent 39 months do not count against its three-term limit.
However, critics argue that this interpretation could enable Infantino to hold power for around 15 years, despite the term limits introduced after Blatter’s tenure.
This issue remains unresolved by any independent judicial authority.
Infantino was first elected in 2016 and was reelected unopposed in both 2019 and 2023.
Under his leadership, FIFA has significantly ramped up its commercial ambitions and development expenditures, which includes expanding the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams starting with the 2026 tournament.
FIFA has claimed that approximately $2.8 billion was allocated to its 211 member associations in the initial two phases of its Forward development program.
Infantino also has notable support, with the Confederation of African Football endorsing his candidacy for 2027 in August.
Comment has been sought from FIFA.
