English and Welsh FAs Formally Turn Away
Pressure on Gianni Infantino has escalated sharply this week. The English FA now plans to write to FIFA, formally withdrawing support given ahead of last year's World Cup. This letter arrives ahead of March's presidential election, where a fourth term had once seemed a formality.
Wales acted first. The FAW confirmed it has already written to Infantino, citing what it called failures across "governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgment." Strong words, undeniably, and a clear signal that patience has run out among Britain's football authorities.
Aleksander Čeferin isn't stopping there, either. The UEFA president is pushing for a complete, continent-wide withdrawal of backing. Sources suggest more than forty European federations had previously submitted written endorsements, and Čeferin wants every single one revoked before the vote takes place.
Momentum is building elsewhere too. Several CONCACAF members are expected to follow suit, reportedly driven by Victor Montagliani, the confederation's president and a potential presidential candidate himself. His involvement adds intrigue, since any rival campaign would need broad cross-confederation support to succeed.
The dispute traces back to Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. That plan, aimed at selling a stake in a new commercial structure worth roughly twenty billion dollars, triggered fierce backlash. European federations threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions before the proposal was eventually shelved, yet the damage to trust has clearly lingered.
The Numbers Behind FIFA's Power Struggle
Football's electoral math complicates any straightforward removal. UEFA carries 55 votes among FIFA's 211 member associations. A candidate needs 106 votes to win outright in a second round, or a two-thirds majority of 141 to seal it in round one.
Consequently, UEFA alone cannot force Infantino out. Every federation holds equal voting power under FIFA's one-country, one-vote system, regardless of size or footballing stature. That structure has historically protected incumbents, and Infantino understands the arithmetic well.
Interestingly, CONCACAF and UEFA combined would total 96 votes, just ten short of a majority. That math hasn't gone unnoticed within football's corridors of power, fuelling speculation around Montagliani's ambitions specifically.
Regional loyalties remain firmly divided, though. The Confederation of African Football continues backing Infantino strongly, alongside South America's Conmebol. Neither region has shown any appetite for turning against the incumbent president.
Asia presents a messier picture. The Asian Football Confederation formally opposed the FFE plan, yet unanimous opposition to Infantino himself simply doesn't exist within the region. Qatar and Sri Lanka have both publicly reaffirmed their support for him this week, undercutting any narrative of total isolation.
Infantino Weighs His Options Internally
Perhaps most damaging, discontent has spread inside FIFA's own leadership structure. Multiple senior figures reportedly want Infantino to resign outright rather than fight through a contested election. That internal pressure marks a significant shift from previous years.
Nevertheless, Infantino appears unwilling to step aside quietly. He's currently running his own calculations, weighing whether enough support remains to contest the election and survive politically. Given the fractured regional response, that math looks genuinely uncertain right now.
Senior resignations have already piled up around him. FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro departed recently, while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour reportedly accused the president of misleading staff throughout the FFE saga. Investor Joshua Kushner and JP Morgan have also distanced themselves from the project entirely.
Whether this pressure culminates in resignation or a bruising re-election fight remains genuinely unclear. Regardless, the coming months promise fierce political manoeuvring across football's governing bodies. March's vote suddenly looks far less predictable than anyone expected just weeks ago.
More background on the numbers driving this power struggle is available via Goal.com.
