Wales first nation to withdraw support for Infantino

What the report says

Wales has become the first nation to publicly withdraw support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain Fifa president, according to BBC Sport Football. The Football Association of Wales said it was ending its backing for his re-election campaign for the 2027-2031 term, following concern over his leadership and recent governance decisions.

The move comes after Infantino dropped a controversial plan to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment firms. That proposal drew strong criticism across global football and prompted warnings of wider unrest inside the game. BBC Sport reported that Uefa had threatened to boycott Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, while Concacaf also issued a critical statement.

In its statement, the FAW said it had lost confidence in Infantino because of what it described as failures in governance, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and judgement. The association added that it could not accept a failure to place football’s interests first.

The development matters because it shows a public split in support for the Fifa president from a national association, adding to pressure around his leadership. As background, Fifa is the global governing body for football, and the presidential election cycle for the next term is already becoming a point of contention.