Gianni Infantino loses support of his home nation Switzerland for FIFA presidential campaign

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Gianni Infantino's FIFA presidential campaign has lost the backing of his native Switzerland due to worries about the integrity of FIFA. The Swiss football federation cited concerns about the integrity of competitions following pressure from the U.S. President Donald Trump to prevent imposing a one-game ban on a World Cup co-host nation's player.

Infantino had hoped to secure a fourth term in office without opposition until revealing his plan to establish a commercial subsidiary company, which was abandoned after facing backlash. The Swiss federation now insists that trust in FIFA's governance and integrity is essential, a view they have held since June. Infantino, who appeared set to win his final term in office unopposed through 2031, had faced mounting criticism over his secretive proposal.

UEFA will convene its 55 member federations in Berlin next week to identify a challenger to Infantino before the Nov. 18 deadline for submitting an entry. The FIFA member federations will cast their votes on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco.