The political crisis facing Gianni Infantino at the helm of FIFA has added a new chapter. The Football Association of Wales (FAW) officially confirmed that it has withdrawn its support for the Swiss leader's candidacy for a new term between 2027 and 2031.
The decision from Wales comes days after the controversy generated by the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, the initiative promoted by Infantino to sell commercial shares of the World Cups and other FIFA assets to private investors. The proposal faced strong resistance from several confederations and was ultimately withdrawn by the organization.
In the statement sent to FIFA, the Welsh Federation explained the reasons for its decision. "The recent failures in governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communication, and decision-making have led us to a position where Mr. Infantino has lost the FAW's trust to continue leading world football", it stated. Furthermore, it asserted that it cannot support a leadership that, in its view, has stopped prioritizing "the best interests of football".
The stance of Wales carries significant political weight, as the federation holds one of the eight votes in the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for defining the rules of football.
England also prepares to withdraw its support
Meanwhile, although it has not yet officially withdrawn its support, according to The Independent, England, through the Football Association (FA), is preparing a formal letter to inform FIFA that it will also not support Infantino's candidacy in the upcoming elections.
So far, the English federation has only publicly expressed support for the strong statement issued by the UEFA following the controversy over the FFE. "We fully support UEFA's position. The time has come for a comprehensive and rigorous review of FIFA's leadership and governance to ensure that football is managed transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with long-term football management at its core", it stated.
UEFA had led the opposition to the commercial project promoted by FIFA and, despite Infantino ultimately reversing the initiative, it made clear that it has lost trust in his leadership and indicated that it will work with other confederations to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.
Infantino, who took over the presidency of FIFA in 2016 after Joseph Blatter's departure and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023, will seek a new term in 2027. However, the decision from Wales and the imminent stance from England represent the first major political challenge ahead of those elections and reflect the growing weariness of his leadership within international football.
