Gianni Infantino is facing a major split within world football, with three continental confederations opposing the FIFA president and three backing him.
UEFA has led the challenge, withdrawing its support for Infantino in a strongly worded statement. Several national associations have also spoken out against him, including Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Wales, Serbia, Sweden, Greece, Albania, England, Finland, Denmark, Croatia and Romania.
The Czech Republic initially indicated that it supported Infantino but later reversed its position.
UEFA has 55 affiliated countries.
South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL has declared its support for Infantino. Its president, Alejandro Dominguez, described him as a “leader in the transformation of football”.
The national football associations of Argentina and Paraguay have also backed the FIFA president.
CONMEBOL has 10 affiliated countries.
Following UEFA’s lead, CONCACAF has also taken a position against Infantino. The organisation representing football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean joined UEFA’s statement opposing him.
Mexico is the notable exception within CONCACAF, with its football federation supporting Infantino.
CONCACAF has 40 affiliated countries.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is Infantino’s strongest source of support. In a statement, the African governing body made clear its “unwavering support” for the current FIFA president.
A number of national associations were also quick to issue individual declarations in his favour. They include Morocco, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, The Gambia, Mauritania, Niger and Comoros.
CAF has 56 affiliated countries.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing Infantino. Together, the three confederations sent him a strongly worded letter accusing him of a “breakdown in trust”.
However, several AFC members distanced themselves from that statement and instead expressed their support for Infantino. Those countries are the Philippines, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bhutan and Mongolia.
The AFC has 46 affiliated countries.
That leaves the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), which has not officially declared its position. New Zealand, the nation with the greatest representation in Atlantic football, has spoken out against Infantino.
The other associations in the confederation appear to support him.
OFC has 13 affiliated countries, 11 of which have voting rights.
The positions of the six confederations leave FIFA divided between three bodies that have backed Infantino – CONMEBOL, CAF and, apparently, OFC – and three that have opposed him: UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC.
The national associations within each confederation have not always followed the position of their regional governing body. Mexico has supported Infantino despite CONCACAF joining the opposition, while several Asian countries have rejected the AFC’s stance.
Equally, opposition to Infantino has been expressed by a number of European associations despite the Czech Republic changing its position after initially offering its support.