Cardiff, Wales – The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has announced it is withdrawing its support for Gianni Infantino’s continued presidency of FIFA, confirming it will not back his candidacy for a new term from 2027 to 2031.
The Welsh Football Association explained in an official statement that its decision came in the wake of declining confidence in Infantino’s leadership, following the crisis that accompanied the project to create a new company to manage the commercial rights for FIFA tournaments, which was later withdrawn after a wide wave of objections.
The statement asserted that recent developments have revealed shortcomings in management, governance, and communication mechanisms within FIFA. This has prompted the Welsh FA to reassess its support for the current president.
The federation said: “Recent failures in governance, management, leadership and communication have led to a loss of confidence in Gianni Infantino’s ability to continue leading world football”.
He added: “Not putting the interests of football first is something we cannot accept, and therefore we decided not to support his candidacy for a new term”.
The Welsh Football Association became the first national association to officially withdraw its support for Infantino, amid mounting pressure on the FIFA president following the controversy surrounding his investment project.
UEFA had previously threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, in protest against the project. The Asian Football Confederation and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) then joined the boycott, ultimately leading FIFA to withdraw the proposal.
