FAI withdraws support for Gianni Infantino's reelection as Fifa President

13 Aug 2026, 08:49 by The 42, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/the-42/ · TheJournal.ie

THE FAI HAS confirmed that it has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-elected as Fifa President.

An FAI statement read: “Following an FAI Board Meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Association supplied earlier this year. It has since written to Fifa to explain its reasoning.

“The Association is grateful for the support that Fifa provides to Irish football, but recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.

“Considering the governance challenges that the FAI has had to overcome in recent years, the Association feels a particular obligation to advocate for and uphold best practice.”

Infantino has been under pressure since a controversial plan to sell stakes in a company to run the Fifa World Cup to private investors first emerged on 28 July.

The fallout led to calls for Infantino to resign.

Football associations in Europe, the Americas and Asia have all threatened to boycott Fifa tournaments and accused Infantino of “abandoning” his duty, saying he placed himself “above the collective that entrusted him with authority”.

Fifa’s secretary general and members of the Fifa management board have apologised for the governing body’s handling of the now shelved proposal to open the World Cup to private investment.

In a statement following an emergency meeting with Infantino in Morocco, the board also “reaffirmed their full support” for him as Fifa president.

It said “mistakes were made” in the process that led to the sell-off proposal.

“We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again,” it said.

The pressure on Infantino intensified last week as he faced allegations from a British newspaper on Friday that he paid off a lover while working at European governing body Uefa.

Last weekend, Fifa condemned what it described as “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” Fifa and its president.