{
  "id": 6585778,
  "title": "France will not support Infantino in FIFA election – Federation chief",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/france-will-not-support-infantino-in-fifa-election-federation-chief-6585778",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T12:43:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/france-will-not-support-infantino-in-fifa-election-federation-chief/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The French Football Federation (FFF) has declared it will not back Gianni Infantino in his bid for a second term as FIFA president in March 2027. The decision comes in line with other European federations, including Belgium, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales, who have also pulled support for Infantino. FIFA confirmed earlier this week that Infantino will run for re-election despite controversy surrounding his earlier plan to introduce private investment into the men’s and women’s World Cups. Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss national, is currently the sole candidate in the race. Philippe Diallo, the FFF president, expressed the federation's view in a statement, stating their belief that the trust placed in the FIFA president has been defrauded and that the envisioned governance of global football no longer aligns with their interests. Consequently, by unanimous agreement of its members, the FFF has voted to withdraw its backing for Infantino’s candidature. All rights reserved. This content, along with any digital material on this site, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any form without obtaining prior written permission from PUNCH.",
  "summary": "France’s Football Federation withdraws support for Gianni Infantino’s 2027 FIFA presidency bid, joining other European nations in opposition. Read More: https://punchng.com/france-will-not-support-infantino-in-fifa-election-federation-chief/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "France withdraws support for FIFA president Infantino, Le Monde reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/france-withdraws-support-for-fifa-president-infantino-le-monde-reports",
        "published": "2026-09-10T09:55:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "🔴 French Football Federation pulls support from FIFA head Infantino's re-election bid, French media reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/french-football-federation-pulls-support-from-fifa-head-infantinos-re",
        "published": "2026-09-10T10:01:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "France will not support Infantino in FIFA election – Federation chief",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/france-will-not-support-infantino-in-fifa-election-federation-chief",
        "published": "2026-09-10T12:28:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "French soccer federation withdraws support for Infantino’s FIFA re-election bid",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/french-soccer-federation-withdraws-support-for-infantinos-fifa-re",
        "published": "2026-09-10T12:32:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Citizen",
        "title": "France withdraws support for Infantino in FIFA presidential election",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/france-withdraws-support-for-infantino-in-fifa-presidential-election",
        "published": "2026-09-10T13:28:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}