The Scottish Football Association has confirmed it will not back Gianni Infantino's bid for a fourth term as Fifa president, becoming the latest governing body to break ranks with the organisation's leadership.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell delivered the news to BBC Sport while unveiling Belgian coach Sebastian Pocognoli as Scotland's new head coach, making clear the decision was rooted in solidarity with Uefa's broader stance against Infantino.
"The position of the SFA has been clear since the 55 Uefa associations met," Maxwell said. "We have aligned ourselves with the Uefa position and 55 nations are stronger than one voice. Their statement since then has talked about a lack of confidence in the Fifa leadership and the Scottish FA agree completely with that decision. The SFA will not be voting for Gianni Infantino come the re-election in early 2027."
Scotland now joins England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland among the home nations that have publicly turned their backs on Infantino's leadership. Maxwell dismissed suggestions that the SFA had been slow to voice its opposition because its own president, Mike Mulraney, sits at the head of Fifa's finance committee.
The controversy stems from Infantino's now-abandoned scheme to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise, a vehicle that would have handed control of commercial and ticketing rights for all Fifa competitions - including the World Cup - to a new company, with 21% of it sold to a private investment firm. The plan triggered fierce backlash from multiple confederations, with Uefa at the forefront of threats to boycott Fifa events altogether.
Even though the scheme was scrapped, damage to Infantino's standing appears to have been done. Last week, Uefa joined forces with Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation to issue a scathing open letter accusing Fifa of eroding trust through what they called "deception." The letter, signed by presidents and general secretaries of the three confederations, framed the episode as a matter of "the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it," and though Infantino was not mentioned by name, sources suggest the message was intended to give him a graceful exit.
Fifa has pledged to bring a review of the FFE affair to its council meeting, expected in October, though the three confederations criticised this approach, arguing that a matter of such significance demanded scrutiny from a fully independent body rather than an internal review. Uefa has also issued a formal warning that no documents relating to the scrapped proposal should be destroyed.
Behind the scenes, preliminary talks have reportedly begun between Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC about the possibility of staging breakaway competitions should Infantino cling to power, although sources caution these discussions remain at an early stage.
Despite the mounting opposition, Infantino retains considerable backing elsewhere. The confederations of Africa, South America and Oceania have thrown their support behind him, while individual nations such as Argentina, Morocco and Mexico have also sided with the incumbent. Notably, some countries have broken from their own confederations' positions - New Zealand has distanced itself from Oceania's stance, while Mexico, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis have split from the wider Concacaf position. Within the AFC, eight nations including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have similarly broken ranks to support Infantino.
With no rival candidate yet declared ahead of the 18 November deadline, and the Fifa Council itself appearing deeply divided, doubts are growing over whether Infantino could govern effectively even if re-elected. The dispute's first practical test looms with the Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, where Uefa's boycott threat could face its first real examination.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport and The Independent.