The English Football Association is preparing to withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president, adding to growing opposition to his leadership among European football associations.
The FA is expected to formally notify Infantino that it no longer supports his candidacy for another four-year term covering 2027 to 2031.
England’s move has not yet been formally completed, but Reuters has confirmed that the FA intends to reverse its previous position. The decision follows the organisation’s backing for UEFA’s demand for a wide-ranging review of FIFA’s governance and leadership.
The FA has said world football should be run transparently and with the long-term interests of FIFA’s 211 member associations in mind.
England would become the latest European federation to reconsider its support for Infantino after the collapse of a controversial proposal to sell part of FIFA’s commercial operations to private investors.
Wales was the first national association to publicly withdraw its endorsement of Infantino. It said problems surrounding governance, leadership, communication and decision-making had led it to lose confidence in the FIFA president.
Serbia and Sweden followed on Monday.
Serbia said it had originally given Infantino written support on 25 May but later changed its position after developments it believed had seriously harmed the reputations of FIFA and its president.
Sweden also cited concerns over transparency, governance and management when explaining its decision to withdraw its backing.
The dispute intensified following the failure of Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
The plan would have established a separate company to oversee FIFA’s commercial and event-related activities, including broadcasting rights for the World Cup, sponsorship, ticketing and hospitality.
The proposed structure was expected to generate as much as $4.2bn through the sale of a stake of about 20% to private investors. Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner, had been identified as the proposed lead investor.
However, FIFA abandoned the project on Friday after opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation and several national football associations.
UEFA welcomed the decision to abandon the proposal but argued that the issue went beyond the failed investment plan.
European football’s governing body said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s current leadership and called for a fundamental examination of the process that led to the proposal.
UEFA also accused FIFA of trying to push through a deal without sufficient transparency or consultation with key stakeholders. It said it would instead work with other parties in football on an alternative method of distributing development money through the existing FIFA Forward programme.
The developments have cast fresh uncertainty over Infantino’s attempt to secure another term in office.
Infantino announced in April that he would seek re-election. He became FIFA president in 2016 and was subsequently returned to the position without opposition in 2019 and again in 2023.
Before the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan emerged, Infantino had said he had received letters of support from more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations.
The recent withdrawals demonstrate that such endorsements can be reversed before the election takes place.
The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for 18 March 2027 in Morocco. Candidates have until 18 November to enter the contest.
Infantino had previously appeared likely to face no serious opposition, but the decisions by several European associations have changed the political landscape.
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is reportedly considering whether to challenge Infantino. Other names discussed as potential candidates include Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness.
None of those potential challengers has formally declared a campaign.
The number of associations that have withdrawn their support remains relatively small when compared with FIFA’s total membership. However, England’s expected decision could carry considerable political significance because of the influence of the English federation within European football.
It could also encourage other associations to reconsider their positions before the November deadline for nominations.
Infantino therefore faces a leadership challenge that, while still developing, has become considerably less predictable following the collapse of his proposed commercial investment plan and the loss of support from a growing number of European federations.
