Infantino loses home nation’s backing for FIFA presidency

Gianni Infantino has lost the backing of his home football federation. The Swiss Football Association (SFV) said on Wednesday that it was withdrawing its support for his bid for another term as FIFA president, citing concerns about leadership and integrity at world football's governing body.reuters+1

The decision matters because Infantino is Swiss, and both FIFA and European football's governing body UEFA are based in Switzerland. It adds to pressure from UEFA, which has led calls to remove Infantino either before or at the FIFA election in March.rfi+1

A reversal from June

According to the SFV, its executive committee met on Friday, Sept. 25, and "decided to withdraw the support it had declared in June 2026 for Gianni Infantino's candidacy for a further term as FIFA president". The federation said "various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency and decision-making processes within FIFA".rfi+1

The SFV named two issues. The first was Infantino's July plan to create a commercial subsidiary under the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative. It would have let private investors buy stakes in a company running events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup. Media reports revealed the plan on July 28, and it was dropped within days after a global backlash. The second was the lifting of a one-match ban on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun. He had been sent off, and the ban would have kept him out of the round-of-16 game against Belgium at this year's World Cup. The suspension was lifted after President Donald Trump phoned Infantino. Goal reported that the SFV statement described this as a matter of "the clarity of the rules and the integrity of competitions".goal+2

SFV president Peter Knäbel said Infantino's proposal last week for a consultation with national federations on FIFA governance reform sent an important signal. But he added that "key questions regarding the background, responsibilities and decision-making processes remain unanswered".rfi

"As these have not been convincingly clarified, we cannot justify continuing to support Gianni Infantino's candidacy," Knäbel said.aljazeera+1

Search for a challenger

Infantino had looked set to win a fourth and final term, running through 2031, without opposition. He is still the only declared candidate. UEFA is set to meet its 55 member federations in Berlin next week to work toward finding a challenger before the Nov. 18 deadline for nominations. The 211 FIFA member federations will vote on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco.nbcwashington+1

Infantino still has important backers. Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 World Cup, supports him, and so do the African confederation CAF and South America's CONMEBOL.rfi

The SFV said its decision did not mean it was stepping back from constructive cooperation within FIFA. It said that, as the association of the country where FIFA and UEFA are based, it "is aware of its special responsibility".rfi