English FA to withdraw support for Fifa president Infantino

By Rohan Gupta — 3 August 2026 — 5 min read

The English Football Association (FA) is preparing to formally withdraw its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino. This decision comes amidst growing pressure on Infantino’s leadership, particularly following his scrapped plans to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors. The FA’s move follows a similar announcement from the Football Association of Wales.

The FA intends to communicate its decision to Fifa, confirming that it no longer backs Infantino for a potential fourth term as president. This marks a shift from its previous endorsement of his candidature. The Football Association of Finland also withdrew its support last week, and more European nations are expected to follow, aiming to compel his resignation.

Concerns over Fifa Forward Enterprise

Infantino’s leadership has faced public scrutiny from football’s governing bodies in Europe, North and Central America, and the Caribbean. Both Uefa and Concacaf have released statements criticising his proposals for a commercial subsidiary, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).

The FFE scheme involved creating a commercial entity to manage Fifa’s primary events, including its World Cups. External investors would have had the opportunity to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in this new subsidiary. The proposed investor group for FFE was expected to be led by Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner.

Uefa has expressed strong opposition to these plans, reportedly considering legal action, arbitration, and regulatory complaints in connection with the FFE proposal. In a letter to Infantino, Uefa requested immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all relevant documents and electronically stored information related to the FFE plan. This request covered various forms of communication, including email, instant messages, SMS, written correspondence, and meeting notes, involving any Fifa officer, employee, committee member, consultant, agent, or any Fifa member association, confederation, broadcaster, sponsor, or financial institution.

The FA has consistently condemned the FFE scheme, both publicly and privately. On a recent Saturday, it called for a “full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance,” indicating its strong stance against the proposed enterprise.

Growing Opposition and Potential Legal Action

The pressure on Infantino intensified as Uefa threatened legal action over the FFE proposals. The European governing body also demanded that Fifa retain all documents related to the investment plan, including those concerning the payment structure for Fifa member associations, its design, modelling, legal basis, approval, and communications. Uefa asked Infantino to acknowledge receipt of its letter within five business days, confirming his understanding and that he had taken steps to preserve relevant materials.

Infantino had previously written to all 211 Fifa member associations, stating they would receive $40m if they supported his proposal, with a deadline of 19 September for an initial $20m. However, the opposition from European federations has been significant. All but five of Uefa’s 55 member associations had previously offered their backing to Infantino before details of his privately-backed plan to sell parts of the World Cup emerged.

The Football Association of Wales explicitly stated its withdrawal of support for Infantino’s re-election for the 2027–2031 term. A statement from the Welsh FA cited “recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement” as reasons for their loss of confidence in Infantino’s ability to lead world football. They emphasised that failing to prioritise the best interests of football was unacceptable.

Welsh football representatives have been active in opposing Infantino. At a meeting of member associations, a Uefa vice-president and former Wales international advocated for a Europe-led boycott of Fifa competitions if the FFE scheme was not abandoned. This advocacy contributed to a collective agreement that effectively rendered the plan unfeasible.

Confederation Dynamics and Future Implications

While the FA’s stance is firm, it is not expected to publicise its withdrawal letter. This approach is shared by some other European entities, who believe that the movement to unseat Infantino needs to gain momentum across different continents. Although achieving widespread opposition within Europe may not be difficult, Infantino’s future could depend on the leadership shown by members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf, where opinions on his tenure have been more varied.

The Asian Football Federation (AFC) has stated its solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf regarding the situation. However, Africa, Conmebol, and Oceania have not criticised Infantino’s plan. Despite the growing pressure, Infantino reportedly retains considerable support outside Europe and the Concacaf region. Countries such as Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka have pledged their continued support for his leadership.

If Infantino remains in his position until March, he could seek re-election for a fourth and final term as president. To win, he would need 106 votes from Fifa’s 211 members. Uefa holds 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11, and Conmebol 10.

An emergency meeting of the Fifa Council could be convened to potentially force Infantino’s resignation. Such a meeting would be triggered if 19 of the 37 Fifa Council members call for it, and it would need to take place within two weeks. The Fifa Council comprises nine members from Uefa, seven from the AFC, five from Concacaf, six from Africa, five from Conmebol, and three from Oceania, in addition to Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.

The situation remains delicately poised, with Uefa aiming to avoid being perceived as dictating terms to other regions. Efforts are reportedly underway behind the scenes to persuade countries outside Europe and the Concacaf region to join the opposition. The United Kingdom is set to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup, a decision that is expected to be confirmed at an extraordinary Fifa congress in November, provided Infantino is still in his position.

The demand for senior Fifa officials not to destroy any evidence relevant to the scrapped plans for selling stakes in its competitions represents a further escalation in the ongoing dispute between the organisations.

It remains uncertain whether the threat of legal action and the withdrawal of support from European member associations will lead Infantino to reconsider his position. However, Uefa hopes these actions will help secure the 19 votes needed to force an emergency meeting of the Fifa Council, where Infantino could face calls to step down.

A motion to call for such a meeting will not be submitted until the necessary numbers are confirmed. The English Football Association is set to write to Fifa president Gianni Infantino to withdraw its support.

Source: bbc.com