Why has Gianni Infantino become more powerful recently?

He centralized control over the World Cup brand, negotiated major commercial deals, expanded competitions and secured political alliances with smaller confederations, creating financial and calendar dependencies that strengthen his leverage.

Can FIFA be reined in by UEFA or major leagues?

Not easily; while UEFA and top leagues can apply pressure, displacing Infantino would require coordinated legal, political and commercial action because most stakeholders currently benefit from the revenues and risk fragmentation.

Infantino's Empire: Why Football Condones Power It Can't Replace

Across boardrooms, backrooms and dressing rooms the same question circulates: what does football really think of Gianni Infantino? The verdict is ambivalent — admiration for outcomes, unease at methods, and a growing acceptance born of dependency. He has turned FIFA into the indispensable architect of modern football calendars and cash flows.

Infantino’s leverage is structural: he controls the World Cup brand, negotiates global media and sponsor contracts, and has driven expansion and new competitions that realign revenue toward FIFA. By courting smaller confederations and scheduling tournaments that bite into European club calendars, he has made national federations and top leagues dependent on FIFA’s calendar and cash. The Qatar World Cup and the 48‑team expansion plan crystallized that shift from influence to dominance.

Critics — from UEFA’s Aleksander Čeferin to investigative journalists and some top clubs — warn that such concentration of power risks governance capture and moral hazard. Allegations of opaque deals, legal skirmishes, and strained relations with Premier League clubs and players like Lionel Messi underline a widening trust deficit. Yet fragmentation would be painful and few actors currently possess the appetite or leverage to displace him without plunging the sport into chaotic realignment.

The Guru’s verdict is sharp: Infantino is more powerful because he rewired incentives and built dependencies, not merely because he sought office. My recommendation is blunt — demand independent oversight, publish key commercial contracts, and create an arbitration mechanism for the calendar before these arrangements calcify. Expect Infantino to consolidate his position further unless federations, leagues and governments unite to force structural checks.