Gianni Infantino is facing challenges to maintain his position as FIFA president after a failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors led to a significant decrease in support.
England, Wales, and various European nations have spearheaded the movement in officially withdrawing their support for the Swiss-Italian ahead of his re-election in March 2027. Meanwhile, UEFA has reiterated its boycott of FIFA competitions as part of efforts to remove him from office.
The global players’ union, Fifpro, has also criticized Infantino, accusing him of a “profound abuse of presidential power” in a strongly worded statement.
Nonetheless, Infantino appears to have some allies emerging, with nations like Mexico and Argentina joining CAF in reaffirming their support for the beleaguered president.
Countries and confederations opposing or supporting Infantino:
Opposition to Infantino
UEFA 🇪🇺
UEFA has strongly opposed Infantino’s leadership, maintaining that its boycott of FIFA competitions remains in effect despite the termination of the sell-off plan.
They argue that there are no guarantees against attempts to privatize the World Cup “in this damaging manner” in the future.
The French Football Federation, however, has indicated to BBC Sport that they still plan to participate in next month’s U20 Women’s World Cup despite the confederation-wide boycott.
England 🏴
The English FA is among several European associations that have sent a letter to FIFA retracting their support for Infantino’s re-election in 2027.
Infantino’s apology letter that circulated on Wednesday night did nothing to alleviate the FA’s “deep concerns regarding the lack of governance and process” surrounding his sell-off proposal.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham (left) next to Gianni Infantino (PA)
Wales 🏴
The Football Association of Wales was among the first to withdraw its support for Infantino.
“The recent failures regarding governance, leadership, and stakeholder management have led us to the conclusion that Mr. Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to lead world football,” a statement declared. “Putting football’s best interests first is a necessity we cannot overlook.”
Finland 🇫🇮
Finland was the first to officially withdraw support for Infantino in a letter sent from its football federation.
Serbia 🇷🇸
The Football Association of Serbia also communicated its decision, saying: “After evaluating recent events that have seriously tarnished FIFA’s and its president’s image, we can only take this course of action.” They had previously expressed support for Infantino in writing on May 25.
Sweden 🇸🇪
Sweden’s football federation (SvFF) also declared it would not support Infantino’s re-election after analyzing the poor developments within FIFA’s leadership.
Croatia 🇭🇷
The Croatian Football Federation has notified FIFA of its decision to retract previously expressed support for Infantino’s candidacy.
Albania 🇦🇱
Similarly, the Albanian Football Federation aligned itself with UEFA, officially announcing it has withdrawn its support for Infantino’s candidacy.
Greece 🇬🇷
The Greek federation has also formally retracted its endorsement of Infantino.
Who else is opposing Infantino?
Concacaf (North America and Caribbean) 🌎
Concacaf has publicly opposed Infantino, expressing shock at the lack of consultation during FIFA’s sell-off plan, which they subsequently rejected.
They emphasized that the recent unilateral actions demonstrate a pattern of mismanagement and poor governance, urging for a comprehensive evaluation of Infantino’s presidency.