The French Football Federation (FFF) has formally ended its backing of Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election as Fifa president, with federation chief Philippe Diallo accusing him of causing serious harm to football's reputation and cohesion.
The FFF's executive committee reached a unanimous decision on Thursday to reverse its endorsement, which had only been made official at the close of June. Diallo pointed to a series of developments surrounding the World Cup, along with a controversial plan to sell off World Cup rights that surfaced in July, as central reasons behind the reversal. That sell-off proposal was ultimately abandoned following strong opposition from multiple stakeholders in the sport.
Among the episodes cited by Diallo was the handling of a suspension involving American striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, which Fifa reversed after intervention from US President Donald Trump. Trump has stated he personally contacted Infantino to advocate for Balogun's reinstatement. Fifa has defended the original disciplinary ruling as fair and grounded in existing regulations, though the reversal has drawn scrutiny.
Explaining the federation's change of heart, Diallo said the circumstances that initially justified supporting Infantino's candidacy no longer held true. "From July onwards, the conditions which led to us to support his candidacy had been disrupted," he said, adding that simply scrapping the sell-off plan was not enough to restore confidence. "His initiatives during and after the World Cup have seriously damaged the image and the unity of football. As a result, we believe that trust has been broken."
Diallo acknowledged that meaningful progress had occurred within football under Infantino's leadership, but argued that the manner in which changes were pursued had become unacceptable. "It would be wrong to say that certain developments in football were not made under his mandate," he said, before noting: "When you are making changes to the game itself, in a unilateral and opaque fashion to sell our shared asset, that changes our appreciation."
The FFF chief emphasized France's standing within global football governance, describing the nation as one of Fifa's founding members with both historical and sporting authority to challenge leadership decisions it views as inconsistent with the sport's broader interests. "We also have sporting legitimacy, as one of the top three teams in the world rankings over the last 10 years," Diallo said, stressing that France would not align itself with a direction it believes fails to serve football's collective good.
France's federation had previously voiced unease when the World Cup sell-off scheme first emerged, describing it as a source of "doubts and deep concerns." That plan also triggered a threatened boycott from Uefa, alongside several European federations—among them England and Wales—pulling their support for Infantino. Until this week, however, France had stopped short of a public break with the Fifa president.
Looking ahead, Diallo signaled that the FFF intends to play a meaningful role in Uefa's effort to identify an alternative candidate ahead of the November 18 deadline, with the presidential vote scheduled for Fifa's congress in March. In the meantime, the federation plans to consult with figures regarded as authorities on transparency and governance within football and beyond, contributing to what Diallo called France's push for substantial reform at Fifa. Among those he named as a potential adviser is Kevin Lamour, the former Fifa chief operating officer who was dismissed after publicly criticizing the sell-off initiative.
Fifa has been contacted for a response to the FFF's announcement.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.