The French Football Federation (FFF) has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to secure another term as FIFA president, citing concerns over his leadership and recent initiatives that it says have damaged the image and unity of world football.
The FFF announced Thursday that its executive committee made the decision unanimously, reversing its earlier endorsement of Infantino’s re-election.
The federation had initially backed Infantino on June 29, when he was the only declared candidate for the FIFA presidency. However, the FFF said a series of developments since then had made continued support impossible.
“Whilst support had initially been given to the FIFA president, who was then the sole candidate for his own succession, the conditions for that support are no longer met,” the federation said.
One of the main issues cited by France was Infantino’s controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors for $4.2 billion. FIFA withdrew the proposal on August 1, only days after it became public, following strong opposition from football officials and governing bodies.
Although the project has now been abandoned, the FFF said concerns over FIFA’s governance remain unresolved.
The federation argued that Infantino’s recent initiatives had “seriously damaged the image and unity of football” and called for significant reforms within FIFA.
UEFA has also been among the strongest critics of Infantino’s leadership, saying it has lost confidence in the FIFA president and at one point threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. Several national football associations, including England’s, have also withdrawn their support for his re-election.
FIFA announced Sunday that Infantino intends to stand for re-election in March and seek what would be his final term as president, potentially keeping him in office until 2031.
The FFF said it plans to consult prominent French and international football figures as it works on proposals for a major transformation of FIFA’s governance.
The federation said the goal is to restore confidence in football’s global governing body, improve transparency and strengthen its independence while ensuring that FIFA operates according to high standards of governance and conduct.
