The Football Association of Wales has become the first football association to officially withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino to be re-elected as president of FIFA. According to Sky News, which said it could reveal the development, the FAW has written to FIFA to tell world football's governing body that it has withdrawn its backing for Infantino's re-election, a step that opens a new front in the pressure building on the FIFA president.
The report framed the Welsh letter as a potential turning point rather than an isolated act. According to Sky News, the move is expected to mark the start of a cascade of letters from across Europe designed to pile pressure on Infantino to leave office. That expectation positioned the FAW as the first mover in what could become a wider revolt among national associations.
The withdrawal was tied directly to a controversy over the commercial future of the World Cup. According to the reporting, the decision followed what was described as Infantino's botched attempts to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. That plan had already drawn strong institutional resistance in the days before the Welsh announcement.
Opposition had been mounting from some of the game's most powerful bodies. According to the reporting, UEFA lost confidence in Infantino's leadership on Saturday, and the North American confederation also did not back him. The FAW's letter added a named national association to that growing list of those distancing themselves from the FIFA president.
The FAW set out its reasoning in a formal statement. According to the statement, the Football Association of Wales confirmed its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA president for the 2027 to 2031 term. It cited recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgment, saying these had led it to a position where Infantino had lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football, and that failing to put the best interests of football first was a failure it could not accept.
The report underlined why the Welsh position carries weight in the global game. According to Sky News, Wales has a significant role in world football, and in February it hosted Infantino for a major meeting. The laws of the game are set by the International Football Association Board, which is made up of eight votes, half held by FIFA and the other four held by the home UK associations, including Wales.
The pressure on Infantino has extended beyond withdrawals of support. According to the reporting, UEFA threatened Infantino with legal action on Sunday over the attempt to sell off shares in the World Cup and told him to retain all documentation. Infantino, who has been in power for ten years, had revealed to Sky News in the early hours of Saturday that he was abandoning the attempt to sell off those stakes.