The Football Association of Wales today withdrew its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s bid for reelection for the 2027-2031 term, citing a loss of confidence following the controversial proposal to sell World Cup stakes to private investors.
The Welsh body became the first national federation to publicly withdraw its support for the official, arguing that “recent failures in governance, leadership, values, team management and communication” had resulted in the “loss of confidence” necessary to keep Infantino in office.
“His failure to prioritize the interests of football is a mistake that we cannot accept,” the organization said in a statement.
The position comes following opposition to FIFA’s plan to raise up to 4.2 billion dollars (3.65 billion euros) by selling World Cup stakes to private investors.
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The initiative faced strong opposition, culminating in UEFA’s threat not to participate in FIFA competitions, and rejection from confederations such as CONCACAF, comprising 41 federations from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Faced with the backlash, Infantino announced on Friday that he was abandoning the project because it was creating “divisions.”
On Saturday, UEFA also declared it had lost confidence in the president of world football’s governing body, accusing him in a statement of failing to deliver on promises of transparency and proper use of the institution’s funds.
The European body criticized the attempt to impose an “opaque deal” and called for FIFA’s reserves, exceeding five billion dollars (4.34 billion euros), to be used for developing grassroots football among the 211 member associations.
The 56-year-old Italian-Swiss official announced his intention to run for another term at the FIFA Congress, scheduled for March in Morocco. Until the controversy emerged, Infantino had the support of the majority of the 211 affiliated federations.
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President of FIFA since 2016 and reelected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, Infantino currently has no declared candidates running against him in the electoral race, for which the deadline for submitting candidacies closes on November 18.
