French Football Federation FFF withdraws support for Fifa President Infantino

The French Football Federation (FFF) no longer supports the re-election of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The federation’s executive committee, upon the proposal of its president Philippe Diallo, unanimously decided to withdraw its confidence in Infantino, the federation announced in Paris. Although it had originally pledged its support, the conditions for doing so are no longer met.

The FFF cited Infantino’s now-abandoned plans to involve investors in future World Cup business as the reason. The initiative had severely damaged the reputation and unity of football. The French Football Federation criticized FIFA’s leadership structure for failing to reflect the significance of the sport. Additionally, the FFF called for a fundamental reform of the global governing body.

To this end, the federation stated that it would hold a series of consultations in the coming days with French and international experts who possess corporate governance expertise extending beyond the sporting domain. The goal is to develop proposals for a profound restructuring of FIFA’s leadership to restore trust, enhance transparency, and safeguard the independence and exemplary role of the world football governing body.

Despite the failure of the World Cup investor deal and strong criticism from parts of the football world, the Swiss Infantino is seeking another term. The election will take place next March.