French Football Federation Withdraws Support for Infantino's FIFA Re-election
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The French Football Federation (FFF) has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election as FIFA president, delivering a significant blow to the incumbent leader who is seeking to extend his tenure until 2031. The FFF executive committee voted unanimously on Thursday to reverse its June endorsement, citing a series of governance crises including a controversial 42 billion US dollar (approximately 328 billion Hong Kong dollars) plan to sell World Cup equity to private investors. The equity sale proposal was ultimately withdrawn following fierce opposition from UEFA and continental football federations, but the French federation argues that fundamental governance problems within FIFA remain unresolved. With England's FA and UEFA also having expressed loss of trust in Infantino, the Swiss-Italian football administrator faces an increasingly isolated path to re-election in March.
Key Points
- French Football Federation executive committee voted unanimously on Thursday to withdraw its support for Infantino's re-election bid
- FFF cited the controversial 42 billion US dollar (328 billion Hong Kong dollars) World Cup equity sale plan as a major governance failure
- The equity sale plan was withdrawn after UEFA and continental football federations strongly opposed the proposal
- England's FA and UEFA have both indicated loss of confidence in Infantino's leadership
- The FFF announced plans to work with international football leaders to push for major governance reforms within FIFA
Why It Matters
This withdrawal represents a significant erosion of Infantino's support base among European football powers, as France joins England and UEFA in publicly rejecting his candidacy. The governance crisis undermines confidence in FIFA's ability to manage world football's most valuable asset—the World Cup—raising questions about the organization's independence and long-term stewardship of the sport.
This withdrawal represents a significant erosion of Infantino's support base among European football powers, as France joins England and UEFA in publicly rejecting his candidacy. The governance crisis undermines confidence in FIFA's ability to manage world football's most valuable asset—the World Cup—raising questions about the organization's independence and long-term stewardship of the sport.