FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces mounting opposition as multiple football confederations and national associations withdraw their support ahead of his re-election bid in March. New Zealand’s football federation became the latest organization to rescind its backing, joining established opponents including UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC. England, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland have also confirmed they will not support Infantino’s bid for a fourth term.
Despite the growing global resistance, Infantino has retained backing from CAF and CONMEBOL, and has received vocal support from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that removing Infantino would be a serious error. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, defended the FIFA leader by characterizing his critics as jealous and suggesting they need professional guidance for questioning his leadership.
The backlash centers on Infantino’s shelved plan to sell a minority stake in World Cup operations to private investors through a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise. Giuliani acknowledged this as a misstep while emphasizing Infantino’s overall achievements, including record revenue generation at the 2026 World Cup. He argued that evaluating Infantino’s complete record should outweigh concerns about the failed proposal, maintaining that removing him would represent a serious mistake for any federation voting against re-election.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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