FAI withdraws support for FIFA president Infantino

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has decided to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election. This decision came after an FAI board meeting, where they chose to retract the letter of support they provided earlier this year. They addressed FIFA through a formal letter to explain their reasoning.

Infantino had previously apologized for his proposal to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company designed to manage FIFA's commercial and operational affairs, with the intention of selling around 20% of its shares to private investors. Despite this, Infantino is facing significant pressure to hold onto his position.

In a statement, the FAI expressed gratitude for FIFA's support towards Irish football but cited concerns over governance, transparency, and the lack of meaningful consultation as reasons for their withdrawal. They stated that, considering the governance challenges the FAI has faced in recent years, they feel a particular obligation to advocate for and uphold best practices.

Several football federations, including UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF, have called for Infantino's resignation over his aborted plan to introduce private investment into FIFA competitions. UEFA has previously threatened a boycott of FIFA events, and its decision to engage in preliminary discussions with AFC and CONCACAF about coordinating their own tournaments aims to ensure players under their jurisdiction have meaningful chances to compete.

However, several countries like Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, and Mauritania have expressed their continued support for Infantino. They acknowledged his efforts to globally advance football, expand opportunities across regions, and strengthen football's role in uniting people and communities.

FIFA's African football boss, Patrice Motsepe, stated that the fate of the embattled president can only be decided through the upcoming elections. Motsepe emphasized that if opponents have issues with Infantino, they must follow the proper FIFA process, which includes going through an election. He warned against bypassing this process and advised against taking any drastic actions against the president before the elections take place in March.

Motsepe urged all parties involved to be cautious, given that elections are imminent and the decision should be left to the 211 member associations to express their confidence or lack thereof.