The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has become the first FIFA member to officially withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as president of world football’s governing body. The FAW said it has written to FIFA to inform the organisation of its decision, piling further pressure on Infantino ahead of the vote in March.
Infantino has faced intense criticism over plans to create a private company, open to investment, to run FIFA’s headline competitions and raise billions of pounds. The project was reportedly going to be led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Backlash over competition plans
The plans to “sell off” the World Cup were revealed by the media before some high-ranking FIFA officials were even informed of his intentions. Infantino later cancelled the project, but not before UEFA, European football’s governing body, said it would boycott FIFA competitions until the plans were killed. The FAW also backed that boycott. CONCACAF, its North American counterpart, also criticised the plans, and key Infantino advisers resigned in protest.
Now the FAW has made its position clear. The association told Sky News it “hereby confirms its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino, for re-election as FIFA President for the 2027-2031 term.”
Loss of confidence
In a statement, the FAW said: “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 Football Association of Wales has written to FIFA to inform them of their position.”
Other British football associations have not yet followed the FAW’s lead, but all of them approved the UEFA boycott. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has gone further, saying Infantino is “the wrong man” to lead FIFA.
