FIFA chief loses support of English and Welsh FAs as UEFA ponders legal action

By Jamie Gardner, Press Association Chief Sports Reporter

European football associations, including England and Wales, have withdrawn their support for Gianni Infantino to continue as FIFA president, while UEFA is actively considering legal action against the global governing body.

The Football Association is understood to be writing to FIFA to confirm the withdrawal of its support for Infantino in next year’s election, after his plan to sell stakes in a company which would run the World Cup to private investors emerged last week.

The FA, led by its chair Debbie Hewitt – who is a FIFA vice-president and member of the FIFA Council – is understood to be working behind the scenes on forming alliances it feels are in the game’s best interests having said on Saturday it “fully supported” a UEFA statement saying the confederation had lost confidence in Infantino.

There is an acceptance however, that any successful effort to unseat Infantino requires significant backing from outside Europe, with Asia seen by many as the key ‘swing’ confederation.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has also publicly declared the withdrawal of its support for Infantino to serve again between 2027 and 2031, with other European nations, including Finland, Serbia and Sweden having done the same.

A motion of no confidence from at least 43 associations would trigger an Extraordinary FIFA Congress, but that is likely to happen only if there is confidence a majority of FIFA’s 211 members would ultimately vote to remove Infantino. A number of associations have already publicly backed him to serve another term – including Morocco, Egypt, Qatar and Sri Lanka.

The Swiss could alternatively face a challenge from within the FIFA Council, where a majority of its 37-strong membership could force an extraordinary general meeting to hold him to account.

Meanwhile, lawyers acting for UEFA have written to Infantino ordering him and other FIFA staff to identify, locate and preserve all documents related to the controversial plans to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

The letter names other FIFA staff required to comply with the order – including its chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, and its chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who on Friday issued an astonishing statement to the Associated Press saying the FIFA administration had been “deceived” by Infantino.

The letter to Infantino, seen by the Press Association, reveals UEFA is “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints…. arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan”.

Similar letters are understood to have been sent to Thrive Eternal and JP Morgan.

Thrive is an investment firm founded earlier this year by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, which FIFA confirmed last week had been earmarked as the leaders of a private investor group which would take a collective 20 per cent stake in FFE, if the proposal was approved by FIFA’s member associations. Infantino conceded on Saturday that the plan had “created division” and would not proceed.

JP Morgan was also confirmed by FIFA to be working alongside it on the FFE plan, having also been involved as financial backers for the doomed European Super League project in 2021.

It was reported on Monday that Infantino was meeting with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a bid to garner support to remain as FIFA president, but this was vigorously denied by the US State Department.

While much of the focus has rightly been on whether Infantino retains the support of the national associations who make up the FIFA electorate, clubs are also understood to have raised concerns to FIFA about the FFE proposal.

FIFA’s statement last Tuesday about FFE said the company would oversee “all (FIFA’s) tournament portfolio”, including the men’s and women’s Club World Cups.

https://x.com/fifamedia/status/2083334512818131199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

That exacerbated concerns among clubs, who were still waiting for further news on a planned joint venture between FIFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) – which represents more than 800 clubs on the continent – to partner together on the commercial rights for the next edition of the men’s Club World Cup in 2029.

The Press Association understands there is also concern that 250 million US dollars (£186.1m) set aside for non-participating clubs after last year’s inaugural 32-team Club World Cup has not yet been distributed, nor a mechanism or formula finalised to do so.

EFC and FIFA declined to comment.