Wales Withdraws Support For Infantino’s Re-election Bid

The Football Association of Wales has become the first national federation to publicly withdraw backing for Gianni Infantino’s bid for reelection as FIFA president, dealing an early blow to the incumbent’s campaign for the 2027-2031 term.

The decision came in the wake of Infantino’s abrupt abandonment of a contentious plan to sell minority stakes in FIFA’s crown-jewel competitions—including the World Cup—to private investment firms, a proposal that sparked widespread outrage across the global football community.

European governing body UEFA threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, should the plan proceed, while CONCACAF, which oversees football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, also issued a sharply worded statement on Saturday crcriticising e world governing body’s leadership and decision-making processes.

In a strongly worded statement, the FAW said Infantino had “lost the confidence” of the Welsh association to remain at the helm of world football, citing a litany of failures including poor governance, flawed processes, inadequate stakeholder management, and a lack of sound judgment.

“Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept,” the FAW added, underscoring its determination to take a public stand even as other member associations have so far remained silent.

Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, has not yet publicly responded to the Welsh withdrawal. It remains unclear whether other national federations will follow Wales’ lead in the coming days, though the move places additional pressure on the Swiss-Italian administrator as he prepares to seek a third term in office.

FIFA has not issued an official comment on the FAW’s announcement.