The English Football Association (FA) is reportedly preparing to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election following the collapse of his controversial proposal to commercialise the FIFA World Cup through private investment.
The development comes as UEFA considers legal action over the abandoned proposal, while the Football Association of Wales has already publicly withdrawn its backing for Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president.
Infantino has faced growing criticism after his failed attempt to sell a stake in the commercial rights of FIFA’s flagship competitions to private investors.
According to Sky Sport, the English FA is preparing to send a formal letter to FIFA withdrawing its support, a move that would further increase pressure on the FIFA president ahead of the organisation’s 2027 elections.
UEFA has already declared that it has lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership, describing the proposed deal as a “shabby, backroom deal.”
The European governing body has also issued a legal notice confirming it is “actively considering” legal action over the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
In the notice, UEFA instructed FIFA and Infantino to:
“Take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or FIFA’s possession, custody, or control.”
The letter states that the obligation to preserve records applies regardless of FIFA’s internal document retention or deletion policies.
Political criticism has also intensified. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described Infantino as the “wrong man” to lead FIFA, while the English FA has called for a “full and robust review” of FIFA’s leadership and governance.
The proposed FFE initiative sought to create a commercial subsidiary valued at about $20 billion and sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors to raise approximately $4.2 billion. The plan would have transferred commercial rights to major FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, into the new venture.
Following widespread opposition from UEFA, national football associations and other stakeholders, Infantino withdrew the proposal, saying it had become divisive and was no longer in the best interests of world football.
Despite abandoning the plan, the fallout continues to generate political, legal and governance challenges for FIFA’s leadership.