Wales has become the first country to publicly withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president, dealing a significant blow to his hopes of securing a fourth term and raising the prospect of further defections before the 2027 election.
The Football Association of Wales confirmed in an official statement that it no longer supported Mr Infantino’s candidacy for re-election as FIFA president for the 2027-2031 term.
The association said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s president after what it described as a series of failures in governance and leadership.
The decision follows a major crisis within world football’s governing body after Mr Infantino abandoned controversial plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment companies. The proposal had triggered widespread international opposition.
FIFA’s plans also led to a serious diplomatic dispute with UEFA, which threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. That warning represented one of the most serious escalations in the relationship between the two organisations.
Both UEFA and Concacaf, the governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, issued strongly worded statements last Saturday criticising FIFA’s leadership, despite Mr Infantino’s decision to withdraw the investment plan.
In an unusually forceful statement, the Football Association of Wales said: “The recent failures in good governance, process, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communication and sound judgement have brought us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the Football Association of Wales to remain at the head of world football.”
The Welsh association added: “A failure to put the interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept.”
That statement made clear that Wales’ decision followed a broad assessment of Mr Infantino’s performance and priorities in running FIFA.
The public break is a potentially serious development for Mr Infantino as he seeks a fourth term in office. Wales is a European member association of UEFA, and its decision could encourage other national football bodies to adopt similar positions in the months ahead.
Mr Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and has faced growing criticism over his management style and a number of decisions described as unilateral. However, the open withdrawal of backing by a member association represents a new and worrying challenge for his campaign.
The failed investment proposal has intensified scrutiny of FIFA’s leadership even after it was withdrawn. The criticism from UEFA and Concacaf, followed by Wales’ decision, has created fresh uncertainty around the continuity of Mr Infantino’s presidency ahead of the 2027 vote.
Wales’ action is therefore being viewed as more than a dispute over one abandoned plan. It is the first formal public rejection of Mr Infantino’s bid by a national association and marks a significant change in the political landscape surrounding FIFA’s next presidential election.
