FIFA president Gianni Infantino
The Football Association of Wales becomes the first national body to formally withdraw support for the FIFA president’s re-election — and it will not be the last
By Martin Weche
The Football Association of Wales on Monday became the first national association to formally withdraw support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election, triggering what observers expect to be a coordinated cascade of defections ahead of next March’s presidential election in Rabat, Morocco.
The FAW’s decision follows the spectacular collapse of Infantino’s plan to sell private stakes in FIFA’s major tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups — a proposal that would have netted each of FIFA’s 211 member associations $40 million but provoked a swift and furious backlash from three continental confederations. Infantino was forced to shelve the project, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise, on Saturday, acknowledging in a statement that it had “created divisions” that were “no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.”
The Welsh FA wasted no time. In a blunt statement issued on Monday, the FAW declared: “The Football Association of Wales hereby confirms its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino, for re-election as FIFA president for the 2027–2031 term. The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football. Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept.”
The English FA is understood to be writing to Infantino in a similar vein, withdrawing a previous letter of support in what Sky Sports described as part of a coordinated European strategy to remove him from office as quickly as possible. On Saturday, the FA had already publicly backed UEFA’s position — the European governing body having stated, in equally unambiguous terms, that Infantino had lost its confidence. European countries are now planning a mass withdrawal of letters supporting his re-election, with more announcements expected in the coming days.
The sense of institutional isolation closing in around Infantino is striking. Since taking over from Sepp Blatter in 2016, the Swiss-Italian administrator had been re-elected unopposed twice and appeared firmly in control of the body. His bid for a fourth term, covering 2027 to 2031, had until recently looked like a formality. Now, analysts say, it is anything but. Experts have told Reuters that the backlash against the failed proposal has exposed deeper dissatisfaction among FIFA members and could significantly complicate his path to re-election.
The geography of the revolt is also significant. It is not only European bodies raising their voices. CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central American football, called for a comprehensive reckoning with Infantino’s leadership, while the Asian Football Confederation pleaded for greater transparency in FIFA’s decision-making. Under FIFA’s rules, an emergency congress can be convened if called for by at least 20 per cent of its 211 member associations — a threshold that could enable either a vote of no confidence or the installation of a rival candidate before the November 18 nomination deadline.
The timing of all this carries a particular irony: just two weeks ago, Infantino was standing on the podium in New Jersey, handing the World Cup trophy to Spain. That image of authority and prestige now sits uncomfortably alongside the accelerating withdrawal of the very institutions that underpin his mandate. The FAW’s statement, in particular, reads less like a diplomatic communiqué than a verdict — measured in tone but devastating in intent.
What remains unclear is whether Infantino will attempt to ride out the storm or step aside ahead of the Rabat congress. FIFA has not yet responded publicly to the Welsh FA’s withdrawal. Whatever his calculation, the rebellion now has momentum, a leading nation, and the unmistakable backing of UEFA — and in football politics, that is rarely where the story ends.
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