The English Football Association is holding firm in its view that Gianni Infantino should not continue as FIFA president, even after the governing body publicly backed him following a week of turmoil.
FIFA declared its "full support" for Infantino on Wednesday night after a management board meeting in Rabat, Morocco. Despite that gesture, the FA's position remains unchanged. Sources close to the association had already signalled plans to formally notify FIFA that it would not support Infantino's re-election bid at next year's Congress, and that stance has not shifted following FIFA's apology to member associations over how it managed a proposal to bring private investors into a company overseeing the World Cup and other tournaments.
The Football Association of Wales, along with the football associations of Serbia, Sweden and Finland, have also withdrawn their backing for Infantino. According to sources familiar with the situation, FIFA's statement of support has only deepened frustration among his critics, with some predicting what was described as "open warfare" within the upper levels of world football's governing structures.
Even prior to FIFA's declaration, members of the FIFA Council were reportedly working to gather the 19 votes needed to force a meeting with Infantino, where he would be pressed to answer for both the private investor scheme and the Folarin Balogun case. Should that effort fall short, or should Infantino decline such a meeting despite sufficient backing, some Council members are said to be ready to launch a "governance boycott" that could bring FIFA's operations to a standstill.
In its statement, FIFA insisted Infantino retained the "full support" of management board members who attended the Rabat meeting. While the organisation conceded that "mistakes were acknowledged" in how the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was handled, it maintained that it had not intended for the Council or member associations to "feel excluded" from the process. A review of how the proposal was managed was promised, though FIFA stood by the claim that "everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework." The statement further warned that FIFA "will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation."
The controversy has also drawn in Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordanian Football Association, who accused FIFA of "blackmail" in a post on social media. He alleged that FIFA had offered financial assistance tied to the World Cup in exchange for the JFA's support of Infantino. FIFA has not responded to that specific claim, nor has it addressed a report from The Guardian suggesting the organisation played a central role in early discussions around forming a European Super League back in 2020 — a competition that, at one stage, was reportedly considered for the name "FIFA Super League."
FIFA did, however, push back against a separate report from The Times claiming Infantino had assured Morocco it would host the final of the 2030 World Cup. The organisation said any decision on hosting arrangements would come "in due course," noting that Morocco is one of three co-hosts for the tournament alongside Spain and Portugal.
UEFA was among three continental confederations that rejected the private investor proposal last week, going as far as threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, unless it was scrapped. Although Infantino confirmed the plan would be dropped, UEFA subsequently issued a statement declaring it had "lost confidence" in him. UEFA has yet to respond to FIFA's latest statement of support.
Based on reporting from The Independent.