Gianni Infantino has given FIFA’s 211 member associations 53 days: approve the partial sale of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors, or accept a sharp cut in the development funding most of them depend on. 53 days to decide the ownership in perpetuity and commercialisation of the world’s most loved tournament, now almost a century old. He developed the scheme in secret, and is forcing individual associations to decide months before the next Congress meets next March. No Congress debate. No Congress vote. No testing of the concept, financials, projections, people and organisations involved. Just a time-limited, financially punitive choice imposed on each member separately. Reports indicate a high-paid commissioner-style role at the new commercial entity could be created for him, potentially delivering a multi-million salary far beyond his current pay. He is using the organisation’s own assets as leverage against its members, while positioning himself to benefit personally from the structure he is racing to lock in. The President of FIFA exists to serve the organisation and every association equally. Not an external investment consortium. Not a selected group of compliant members. And not himself. This is not democracy. It is not governance. It is not leadership. It is coercion dressed as opportunity. He should be removed.

Belgium just saved football.