Under-fire Infantino receives backing from key governing bodies

News

FT Desk

Gianni Infantino has received backing from key governing bodies as he desperately attempts to hold on to the FIFA presidency.

The Italian is facing intense scrutiny following his hugely controversial plan to sell shares in the World Cup to private equity firms. The proposals received such an overwhelmingly negative reaction from the football world that they were scrapped just a few days after they were revealed by The Times.

He has been working on damage control since, trying to gain support from key organisations and key stakeholders, such as elite ex-players. UEFA have been his biggest critics and are campaigning for his removal and have even threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments moving forward unless there is major reform within football's governing body.

FIFA released a statement on Wednesday confirming support for Infantino and it was a letter that was actually signed by the man himself. It outlined that mistakes were made about the lack of communication surrounding the controversial World Cup plan - but no apology for the plan itself.

A UEFA statement said: "UEFA's associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions.

"First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn, and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.

"These conditions have not been met. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. That position holds.

"Yesterday's (Wednesday) announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing."

Support for Infantino

While UEFA have given Infantino a vote of no confidence, Infantino has received support from the governing body of African football:

The Confederation of African Football said in a statement:

"The Confederation Africaine de Football ('CAF') today unanimously endorsed the 'Joint Update' by the FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström on the FIFA Forward Enterprise ('FFE').

"CAF has taken note of the statements in the “Joint Update” that: “we acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (‘FFE’). It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and it should have been handled differently. We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.

"Furthermore as already known, the proposal which would have been subject to the approval of the FIFA Member Associations and the FIFA Council, is now off the table. There are always lessons to be learned, and we will continue to improve our processes in light of this experience. In this instance however it is important to stress that although mistakes were made, everything that was done, was done in full compliance with the FIFA Regulatory Framework.”

#Institucional Respaldo a la gestión realizada los últimos 10 años por Gianni Infantino en la FIFA

📘https://t.co/LlgxadxJ5q pic.twitter.com/REqxzApp97

— AFA (@afa) August 6, 2026

Crucially, Infantino has also received support from the Football Associations of Argentina and Mexico, both of whom are going against the continental body Concacaf who, like UEFA, want reform at FIFA.

An open letter from Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia to Infantino said: "On behalf of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and its Executive Committee, we write to you, dear President, and through your esteemed good offices to the FIFA Executive Committee, to express our support for the work carried out over the last 10 years, which has centred on the development of football worldwide and institutional strength based on a clear, stable and transparent governance model.

"With respect to the recent events that are now public knowledge, we must acknowledge the Administration's decision to withdraw a proposal which, from the outset, generated far more uncertainty than certainty within the football family. That is why it is worth highlighting the acknowledgement of the mistakes made during that process and the apology expressed in the thoughtful message sent to FIFA's 211 member associations.

"As we have already stated, you are leading an administration that has brought about a profound transformation of FIFA; one that has opened the organisation's doors to all member associations and confederations, so that, through frank and direct dialogue, we can all continue to promote football at all levels and across all disciplines. In our view, this transformation was built on a model of transparent governance, respect for statutory structures and adherence to democratic procedures.

"Consequently, with the upcoming FIFA Congress fast approaching, the Association that I am proud to chair firmly believes and reaffirms that the way forward is to continue working under your leadership, so that we may continue to develop a better and even more inclusive game of football."

"The FMF [Mexican FA] supports president Infantino's leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening," a statement read from the Mexican FA said in part.

The English FA are one of a number of member associations that have withdrawn support for Infantino.

Written by

FT Desk

FootballTransfers' desk

View full bio