English FA to withdraw support for Infantino, joining Wales and escalating opposition
The English Football Association is preparing to write to FIFA president Gianni Infantino withdrawing its support, following Wales's public withdrawal. The move escalates institutional opposition to Infantino ahead of his March 2027 re-election bid, which requires 106 votes from FIFA's 211 member nations.
The English Football Association is set to write to FIFA president Gianni Infantino withdrawing its institutional support, per BBC Sport reporting. The decision makes England the second major confederation to formally pull backing from Infantino ahead of his re-election bid in March 2027, when he will need 106 votes from FIFA's 211 member nations to secure a fourth and final term.
The withdrawal comes after Wales publicly withdrew its support and UEFA, Concacaf, and football governing bodies across Europe, North and Central America have released statements criticizing Infantino's now-scrapped plan. The controversy centers on a proposal to create a commercial subsidiary that would have run FIFA's main events, including the World Cups, with external investors able to purchase stakes in the structure.
UEFA has escalated its response beyond institutional criticism, according to BBC Sport reporting. The continental body has threatened legal action over the proposals and sent a document preservation letter to Infantino, formally requesting that he retain all documents related to the shelved plan, a procedure used to protect evidence in potential future disputes.
The Scottish Football Association's position aligns with UEFA's lack of confidence in Infantino, though this remains unconfirmed beyond UEFA's own statements, BBC Sport notes.
Infantino announced on Friday that the proposal would not proceed, per his statement, after the backlash from governing bodies worldwide. Two senior FIFA officials have also criticized the plan: one resigned as a presidential adviser, and another stated that staff members were deceived by the project, according to ESPN's reporting.
England becomes the second major confederation to formally withdraw backing from FIFA president Infantino after his private equity sell-off plan drew widespread opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, and other governing bodies.
With England preparing to formally withdraw support and UEFA moving toward legal action, Infantino's path to re-election in March 2027 has narrowed materially. The coming weeks will show whether other confederations follow England's lead and whether UEFA's legal threat materializes into formal court action.
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