FA Withdraws Support for Gianni Infantino as FIFA President
The English Football Association has announced it is retracting its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president due to his recently abandoned proposal to privatize the World Cup. This decision follows Infantino’s apology for the widely criticized plan, which prompted senior leaders of FIFA to reaffirm their backing for him after a crisis meeting on Wednesday.
Reports indicate that Infantino’s letter of apology has not changed the FA’s stance, which had been planning the withdrawal since the beginning of the week. Wales has already taken a lead in this action, becoming the first member association to officially withdraw its support for Infantino on Monday. Other countries such as Serbia, Sweden, and Finland have since joined in.
Infantino’s leadership is under increasing scrutiny as he placed his controversial plan in the spotlight last Friday, only to announce its shelving due to widespread disapproval from three confederations. Concacaf, the governing body for North America and the Caribbean, along with the Asian Football Confederation, expressed frustration over the lack of prior consultation. UEFA has threatened to boycott all FIFA events, including the upcoming Women’s World Cup and the 2030 World Cup, unless the proposal was scrapped.
UEFA officials remarked that they have lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership after he reversed the plan, labeling it a “shabby, backroom deal.” Following FIFA’s support for Infantino, UEFA has reiterated its intention to pursue a boycott.
The letter issued by FIFA has drawn criticism from the global players’ union, Fifpro, as well as the South American confederation, Conmebol, which had initially supported Infantino. In a statement, Prime Minister Andy Burnham declared that Infantino is “the wrong man” to lead FIFA, calling for a thorough review of his leadership amid the fallout from the situation.
Infantino’s own office is rife with discontent, as senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro has resigned over the plans, and FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour accused the president of “deceiving” staff. The controversial proposal involved creating FIFA Forward Enterprise and selling a 20% stake to private investors, with Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal being linked as a potential lead investor. Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump, who has claimed he did not discuss the sell-off plan with Infantino prior to its cancellation.
Despite the ongoing calls for his resignation, Infantino is set to run for re-election in March 2027.