The Football Association of Wales (FAW) on Monday became the first national federation to publicly withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential elections for the period 2027–2031. The decision was announced shortly after the Italian-Swiss leader abandoned his controversial plan to attract private investment in the organization’s commercial activities and the World Cup.
In a statement, the FAW confirmed it would no longer support Infantino‘s candidacy, citing “recent missteps in management, leadership, values, stakeholder engagement, communication, and common sense” as the rationale for its position. The organization emphasized that these issues have resulted in “Infantino losing the trust of the Welsh federation regarding the continuation of his work in this position”.
Rejection of the Investment Plan
The FAW also stated that “not putting the interests of football above all else is a failure we cannot accept”. This marks one of the sharpest criticisms made by a FIFA member association against the organization’s leadership.
The conflict arose last week when FIFA announced the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new subsidiary to manage the organization’s commercial activities and major tournaments, including the World Cup. The project proposed selling 20% of this company to private investors.
The proposal sparked significant international backlash. UEFA warned that its national associations would not participate in competitions organized by FIFA if the plan moved forward, while various leagues and federations expressed concern over the potential privatization of the main economic asset of world football.
Following the wave of criticism, Infantino announced on Friday that FIFA was abandoning this initiative, stating the organization made this decision after “carefully listening to all sides”. However, this did not restore the trust of the Welsh federation, which ultimately decided to withdraw its support for the current president.
Political Criticism and Future Consequences
Criticism also emerged from British politicians. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, called the proposal “scandalous” and asserted that Infantino is “the wrong person” to lead FIFA going forward. “Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to those who fill the stands week after week. The World Cup is not a product,” Burnham wrote on the social network X, questioning the attempt to open the main football tournament to private capital.
Wales’ decision marks the first instance of a national federation publicly withdrawing support for Infantino’s candidacy and may encourage other FIFA member federations to follow suit.
Source: Clarín
