English FA to officially withdraw Gianni Infantino re-election support

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FT Desk

The English Football Association are planning to officially withdraw their support for Gianni Infantino in the next FIFA Presidency election.

In the eyes of many football fans and organisations like the FA and UEFA, Infantino's position as FIFA President has become untenable due to his conduct over the last year.

There were numerous controversies surrounding the World Cup, including the treatment of the Iran squad in North America, supporters not being allowed in the host countries due to visa issues, hydration breaks and, of course, FIFA's intervention to overturn Folarin Balogun's suspension so that he could play in a USMNT fixture against Belgium in the last 16.

The most egregious decision from Infantino was yet to come, however, as a couple of weeks after the conclusion of the tournament, The Times reported that he was planning to sell shares in the World Cup to private equity firms.

The proposals received almost universal condemnation from FIFA's member associations, with UEFA in particular ferocious in their criticism of the game's governing body.

Infantino subsequently announced that they would not go ahead with the plans after the passionate reaction, but it doesn't look like he is going to escape further scrutiny as a number of associations, including now England, will formally withdraw support for his presidency.

On Saturday, the English FA released a statement asking for “a full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently”.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has also withdrawn its support. It said in a statement: “The Football Association of Wales hereby confirms its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino for re-election as Fifa president for the 2027–2031 term.

“The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgment 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.”

In a further escalation of the dispute, UEFA has instructed its legal team to send Infantino a formal letter warning that legal action is under consideration. The correspondence also demands that all documentation relating to the private equity proposals be kept for analysis.

According to The Times, the letter partly reads:

“UEFA hereby gives formal notice that it is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by Fifa and all related matters.

“You and FIFA are required to take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or FIFA's possession, custody, or control.

“These obligations arise independently of any internal retention policy you or your organisation maintain and supersede any routine document destruction or deletion policies that would otherwise apply.”

Infantino's current term runs until 2027 and UEFA have started shortlisting candidates to take him on for the FIFA presidency..

TalkSPORT has confirmed that various names are being considered but some are more likely than others.

Although UEFA President Alexander Ceferin is widely regarded as one of the strongest potential candidates, the Slovenian is expected to remain at the helm of European football rather than pursue FIFA's top job.

He had previously indicated he would not seek another full term as UEFA president beyond 2027, but is now prepared to stand for re-election if no suitable successor emerges.

Another popular candidate is Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, but he reportedly has no interest in standing for office despite being chairman of the European Football Clubs organisation.

Bosnia, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Spain all want Legia owner Dariusz Mioduski.

Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible successor to Infantino.