The international football scene witnessed an important shift today, Thursday, as the French Football Federation announced France’s withdrawal of support for Infantino, the president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March 2027. This decision ends the previous support for Infantino and indicates growing European dissatisfaction with his policies.
This French move follows a series of increasing pressures on Infantino, especially after he retreated from a project to involve private sector investors in managing FIFA tournaments. This project faced strong opposition from three continental federations, leading Infantino to withdraw it. France thus joined a number of prominent European federations that had previously withdrawn their support, such as England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, signaling a clear decline in his popularity within the old continent.
In an official statement released today, the French Federation clarified that the circumstances that led it to support Infantino when he was the sole candidate have changed drastically. The statement pointed to “a series of events directly related to FIFA governance and its president, which conflict with the fundamental principles of good governance and football values.” Although the controversial project was abandoned thanks to a unified position within the European Football Association (UEFA), the issue of FIFA governance remains a major concern for the French Federation.
The French Federation confirmed in its statement that the recent initiatives of the FIFA president have seriously damaged the image and unity of football, prompting France to withdraw its support for Infantino. Amid these developments, although Infantino remains the only declared candidate for the upcoming presidential election so far, the European Football Association has pledged to offer a “reliable” alternative to voting federations before the candidacy deadline on November 18.
The French Federation concluded its statement by calling for a comprehensive and profound reform of global football governance, affirming its intention to launch intensive consultations with prominent French and international figures to find the best ways forward on this issue, in a step that may mark the beginning of a new phase in managing the world’s most popular sport.
