British prime minister says Infantino is not the right man to lead FIFA

British prime minister says Infantino is not the right man to lead FIFA 1 of 3 | FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news conference at the stadium in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, a day before the opening FIFA-world-cup" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="1741" data-entity-type="event">FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) 2 of 3 | Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to the media during a visit to HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, in Dover, Britain, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jack Taylor/Pool Photo via AP) 3 of 3 | El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump (izquierda) y el presidente de la FIFA Gianni Infantino bajo una lluvia de confeti tras la final de la Copa del Mundo entre España y Argentina, el domingo 19 de julio de 2026, en East Rutherford, Nueva Jersey. (AP Foto/Jacquelyn Martin) 1 of 3 | FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news conference at the stadium in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, a day before the opening FIFA-world-cup" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="1741" data-entity-type="event">FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) 1 of 3 FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news conference at the stadium in Mexico-city" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="1779" data-entity-type="location">Mexico City, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, a day before the opening FIFA-world-cup" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="1741" data-entity-type="event">FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 3 | Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to the media during a visit to HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, in Dover, Britain, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jack Taylor/Pool Photo via AP) 2 of 3 Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to the media during a visit to HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, in Dover, Britain, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jack Taylor/Pool Photo via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 3 | El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump (izquierda) y el presidente de la FIFA Gianni Infantino bajo una lluvia de confeti tras la final de la Copa del Mundo entre España y Argentina, el domingo 19 de julio de 2026, en East Rutherford, Nueva Jersey. (AP Foto/Jacquelyn Martin) 3 of 3 El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump (izquierda) y el presidente de la FIFA Gianni Infantino bajo una lluvia de confeti tras la final de la Copa del Mundo entre España y Argentina, el domingo 19 de julio de 2026, en East Rutherford, Nueva Jersey. (AP Foto/Jacquelyn Martin) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Sunday that FIFA President Gianni Infantino was not the right man to lead world soccer’s governing body in the latest fallout from the now abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.“I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” Burnham said. “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.”On Saturday, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership — possibly paving the way for a challenge to Infantino’s presidency. The governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) said FIFA leadership had “stopped putting football first.” Infantino was forced into a backdown over his controversial plans to sell World Cup profits through a commercial subsidiary that would run its top competitions. Infantino’s plans fell apart after UEFA’s 55-member nations agreed Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.Despite Infantino’s climbdown, UEFA said it would work with other confederations to “devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again.” 2 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ “No option should be off the table,” it said. While Infantino has received pockets of public support from associations including 2022 World Cup host Qatar, Burnham’s words were further evidence of the anger generated by his plans. 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.___James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer