Infantino Faces Major Blow as European Leagues' Rebellion, Including Niké Liga, Could Lead to World Cup Boycott

The European Leagues organization, which includes the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, and Italy's Serie A, has labeled Infantino's proposal as dangerous. They stated it raised "serious questions about FIFA's governance, its internal culture, and decision-making processes."

"More than ever, FIFA now needs reform that ensures all relevant parties have a formal role in decisions regarding the future of our sport," the European Leagues' statement, quoted by AP, read.

The European Leagues, which also counts the Slovakian Union of League Clubs (ÚLK) among its members, also rejected the idea of expanding the World Cup to 64 participants or creating new FIFA competitions: "FIFA must not continue with unilateral decisions that disrupt the functioning of football."

Pressure is mounting on Infantino from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) as well, which threatened to boycott the World Cup. Although the FIFA head backed down from the plan, UEFA declared it had lost confidence in the organization's leadership. Criticism also came from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Former Portuguese international and 2000 Ballon d'Or winner Luis Figo called for Infantino's resignation on Wednesday.