Trust broken, France withdraws support for Infantino’s FIFA re-election bid

“The trust placed in the FIFA president has been broken,” said French Football Federation President Philippe Diallo as he announced the decision to withdraw support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election bid as FIFA chief next year.

The decision was taken unanimously by the FFF executive committee, marking a significant setback for Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled to be held in Rabat on March 18, 2027, Al Jazeera reported.

Diallo cited developments that had fundamentally altered the circumstances surrounding the federation’s initial backing of Infantino’s candidacy at the end of June, when he was the only declared candidate.

“The conditions for our support for his candidacy were no longer there,” Diallo told reporters.

France’s decision follows growing criticism of Infantino after his proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors was abandoned in July, leading to widespread opposition from FIFA’s regional confederations.

Diallo said the proposed stake sale had raised serious concerns about FIFA’s governance and decision-making, particularly because federations had not been properly consulted or adequately informed before the plan emerged.

Several major European football federations, including those of England and Italy, have also withdrawn their backing for Infantino since the collapse of the proposal. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF have called for changes at the top of FIFA and are seeking a credible alternative to Infantino before the election.

Diallo said France’s decision was part of a broader movement within UEFA and beyond, with discussions now expected to focus on governance reform and identifying a candidate capable of defeating Infantino.

“It is not enough simply to criticise if you want things to move forward. You also have to make proposals,” Diallo said.

Infantino continues to enjoy the support of South America’s CONMEBOL and Africa’s CAF. The deadline for presidential candidacies is November 18.