FIFA Stake Plan Prompts Wales FA to Withdraw Support for Infantino

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1249 EAT on Monday 3 August 2026

The Football Association of Wales has announced it will withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election to a new four-year term from 2027 to 2031, following the collapse of his controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA’s proposal to raise up to US$4.2 billion from private investors by selling an estimated 20% stake in a newly created entity responsible for managing the commercial rights to its competitions, including the World Cup, was abandoned on Friday after facing strong opposition from key stakeholders.

With the proposal now abandoned, attention has shifted to the potential political fallout for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, whose bid for another four-year term could come under increased scrutiny following the failed initiative.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has become the first national football federation to formally withdraw its support for Infantino’s re-election.

In a statement issued on Monday, the FAW said: “The Football Association of Wales hereby confirms its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA President for the 2027–2031 term.”

The association said the decision was driven by what it described as failures in governance, leadership and stakeholder engagement.

“The recent failures in good governance,processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football.

“Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept.”

FIFA had not publicly responded to the FAW’s statement by the time of publication.

Infantino is facing mounting pressure after the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) said on Saturday they had lost confidence in his leadership, intensifying calls for greater accountability within world football’s governing body.

UEFA, which spearheaded opposition to Infantino’s proposed commercial rights deal and welcomed its withdrawal, did not confirm media reports that it was considering legal action against FIFA over the matter.

However, the European governing body said it had issued a document preservation order, requiring that emails, files and other relevant records be retained in anticipation of a possible investigation.

Infantino announced in April that he intended to seek re-election for a fourth term as FIFA president. Since succeeding Sepp Blatter in 2016, the Swiss football administrator has been re-elected unopposed twice and has maintained firm control of world football’s governing body.

Although his re-election for the 2027–2031 term had long been viewed as a formality, analysts told Reuters that the backlash over the abandoned proposal has exposed growing discontent among FIFA’s member associations and could complicate his campaign ahead of the FIFA Congress in Morocco next March.

-Aljazeera

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