PARIS, France (AFP) — Wales on Monday became the first national football association to publicly withdraw support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election bid, piling pressure on the Swiss administrator after the collapse of his controversial plan to sell private investment stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said it would not support Infantino’s candidature in the FIFA presidential election in Rabat, Morocco, in March 2027.

“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 FAW said in a statement.

“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 Football Association is also understood to have informed FIFA it no longer supports Infantino. It said on Saturday it fully backed UEFA’s position after European football’s governing body declared it had lost confidence in the FIFA president.

Concacaf has called for “a comprehensive reckoning” with Infantino’s leadership, while the Asian Football Confederation has urged greater transparency.

The backlash followed Infantino’s decision to abandon plans for the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have brought private investment into FIFA’s flagship tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. The proposal, announced last week, was withdrawn within days after opposition from three continental confederations.

The collapse of the plan has left Infantino facing the biggest political challenge of his decade in charge of world football.

The 56-year-old, first elected FIFA president in 2016 and re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, had appeared politically stronger than ever after overseeing expanded editions of the Club World Cup and men’s World Cup while increasing revenues distributed to FIFA’s 211 member associations.

But critics say the FFE debacle reinforced concerns that FIFA has become increasingly centralised under his leadership.

Former UEFA president Michel Platini, under whom Infantino served as secretary-general from 2009 to 2016, has been among his sharpest critics.

“Unfortunately Infantino has become more of an autocrat since the [COVID-19] pandemic,” Platini told
The Guardian in January.

“I think he lost the game. There is less democracy than in Blatter’s time.

“He was a good No 2, but is not a good No. 1.

“He worked very well at UEFA but he has one problem — he likes the rich and powerful people, the ones with money.

“It’s his character.”

Infantino’s close relationship with US President Donald Trump has also drawn scrutiny. The investment proposal involved a firm led by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“Josh Kushner’s firm has a legitimate track record,” former World Cup bid strategist Terrence Burns told
AFP.

“But the association was always going to be read politically… We’ve understood in sponsorship for 40 years that a partner brings their whole context with them.”

Following the collapse of the investment proposal, Infantino pledged to restore unity within world football.

“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together… in the spirit of shared interest in our game,” he said.

“And with the objective to continue growing football everywhere.”

Nominations for the FIFA presidential election close on November 18 ahead of the vote in Rabat next March.