Aug 20 (Reuters) - With FIFA President Gianni Infantino facing the biggest challenge yet to his leadership following the collapse of his plan to sell minority stakes in the World Cup, could a vote of no confidence remove him from his post ahead of next year's election?
Here is how a vote of no confidence would work under FIFA's statutes:
WHO CAN TRIGGER A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE?
If 20% of the 211 member nations (43 countries) make a request in writing, the FIFA Council must convene an Extraordinary Congress, according to FIFA's statutes.
Therefore, an individual member association cannot demand a vote on their own. An Extraordinary Congress must be held within three months of receipt of the request and its agenda may not be altered.
UEFA alone could trigger a vote if its 55 members make the request, as could the AFC which has 47 members. The two confederations had teamed up with CONCACAF to criticise Infantino's conduct and give him the opportunity to resign.
WHO DECIDES INFANTINO'S FATE?
Once a Congress is called, each country has one vote and only the member associations present are entitled to vote.
Voting by proxy or by letter is not permitted at a Congress held in person.
HOW MANY VOTES WOULD BE NEEDED TO REMOVE INFANTINO?
Although FIFA's statutes have details about the majority needed to win a presidential election, depending on the number of candidates, they do not explicitly mention the majority required for any vote of no confidence.
However, they do say: "Unless otherwise stipulated in the Statutes, a simple majority (more than 50%) of the valid votes cast is sufficient for elections, votes and other decisions to be valid."
WHAT IF INFANTINO IS VOTED OUT?
FIFA's statutes say: "If the President is permanently or temporarily prevented from performing their official function, the longest-serving vice-president shall assume the powers and responsibilities of the President until the next Congress.
"This Congress shall elect a new President, if necessary."
The longest-serving member on the FIFA Council among the eight vice-presidents is Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who is also the president of the Asian Football Confederation.
HAS A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE HAPPENED BEFORE?
There is no record of a formal FIFA Congress vote of no confidence being held against a sitting FIFA president, but they came close in 2001 when UEFA challenged Sepp Blatter's leadership.
Blatter's position was in jeopardy following the collapse of FIFA marketing partner, ISL, and concerns about FIFA's governance.
Then-UEFA president Lennart Johansson publicly raised the prospect of a no-confidence motion and Blatter faced extensive questioning at an extraordinary FIFA Executive Committee meeting.
However, no formal vote was held and Blatter survived the challenge.
Similar calls for a no-confidence vote resurfaced in 2002 during a dispute involving FIFA General Secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen, but these efforts again failed to result in a Congress vote on removing the president.
(Compiled by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Toby Davis)
