Wales have become the first national football association to publicly withdraw their support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain president of Fifa.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said it no longer backed Infantino’s candidature for the 2027-2031 presidential term, citing a loss of confidence in his leadership of world football.
The decision follows the collapse of Infantino’s plans to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment firms. The proposal, described as lucrative, triggered a global backlash and intensified concerns over the way the world governing body is being run.
The FAW confirmed “its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino for re-election as Fifa president for the 2027-2031 term”.
Wales’ decision comes after European football’s governing body Uefa threatened to boycott all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, in response to the plans. The threat underlined the scale of opposition to Infantino’s proposal and its potential impact on international football.
Uefa and Concacaf, the governing body for football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, both issued statements on Saturday criticising the leadership of Fifa after Infantino withdrew the plan.
The FAW said the dispute had raised concerns stretching beyond the abandoned investment proposal, including governance, decision-making processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management and communications.
It added: “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.”
Wales’ withdrawal is the first public decision by a national association to remove its backing for Infantino’s re-election campaign. The FAW’s statement therefore represents a significant challenge to the Fifa president as he seeks another term in office.
The association said its position was based on what it regarded as a failure to place football’s best interests at the centre of Fifa’s decision-making. Its criticism covers both the way the plans were handled and wider issues surrounding the organisation’s leadership.
Infantino’s proposal to involve private investment firms in Fifa competitions has now been scrapped, but the reaction to it has continued. Uefa’s boycott threat and the statements from Uefa and Concacaf have demonstrated the depth of concern among football’s governing bodies.
The FAW’s announcement places Wales at the forefront of that opposition. It has made clear that it no longer believes Infantino should remain at the head of world football for the 2027-2031 term.
