Wales withdraws support for Gianni Infantino’s FIFA re-election bid

By Liam Tremblay — 3 August 2026 — 3 min read

Wales Withdraws Support for FIFA President

Wales has become the first home nation to publicly withdraw its backing for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president. The decision by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) follows a loss of confidence in Infantino’s leadership, particularly after his plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment firms were abandoned.

The FAW confirmed its withdrawal of support for Infantino’s candidature for the 2027-2031 term. This move makes Wales one of the initial nations globally to speak out against his continued leadership of world football’s governing body.

Concerns Over Governance and Leadership

The FAW cited several reasons for its decision, including recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications, and sound judgment. According to the FAW, these issues have led to a situation where Infantino has lost their confidence to remain at the helm of world football. The association emphasized that failing to prioritize the best interests of football is unacceptable.

Infantino’s proposal to raise $4.2 billion from investors, including a New York investment firm, had generated significant controversy. This secretive plan, which was ultimately dropped, involved a spin-off operation valued by FIFA at $20 billion. This entity, known as FFE (FIFA Forward Enterprise), would have controlled FIFA’s commercial and tournament operations, despite the 211 member federations already effectively owning the Zurich-based not-for-profit governing body.

Widespread Opposition and Legal Threats

The proposed plan sparked a global outcry, with European football’s governing body, UEFA, threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. UEFA, along with Concacaf (which oversees football in North, Central America, and the Caribbean), issued statements criticizing FIFA’s leadership after Infantino withdrew the plan.

UEFA has been particularly vocal in its opposition to Infantino, its former employee. Lawyers for UEFA have informed FIFA that the European body is “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints” stemming from the FFE plan and related matters. A letter from the legal firm Dechert in New York, dated Friday, was seen by The Associated Press on Monday. This letter named 18 FIFA executives, advising them to retain data, documents, and electronic messages as potential evidence, warning against the destruction or alteration of relevant materials.

The letter from UEFA’s lawyer, Andrew J. Levander, stated that legal proceedings are “reasonably anticipated,” reflecting the belief among soccer stakeholders that the plan was “fundamentally incompatible with the proper governance of football.”

Impact on Infantino’s Re-election Bid

The controversy has led to a significant shift in support for Infantino. Hours before withdrawing the divisive proposal, Infantino had offered FIFA’s 211 member federations one-off payments of $20 million each, with a mid-September deadline to accept. FIFA had previously briefed at the World Cup that Infantino had secured pledged letters of support from approximately 200 of the 211 member federations.

However, these letters are now likely being withdrawn across Europe, with Wales being the first to announce its reversal. UEFA indicated its desire to end Infantino’s decade-long presidency, stating that he had lost the confidence of world soccer and that “no option should be off the table.”

While UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf have made strong statements against Infantino’s plan, he reportedly retains significant support from his traditional base in Africa. South America’s Conmebol is also relying on him for the expansion of the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams from 48, which would provide more hosting opportunities for countries like Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

The candidate deadline for the election is November 18, with the election scheduled for exactly four months later in Morocco, a strong ally of Infantino and a co-host of the 2030 tournament alongside Spain and Portugal.

Source: bbc.com