Wales becomes first nation to withdraw support for Infantino’s bid for FIFA presidency

The association confirmed to Sky News "its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA president for the 2027-2031 term,” becoming the first national body to do so.

“FIFA and its members are custodians of the game, responsible for its long-term growth, development and sustainability. This requires leadership that puts our game first in all of our decisions,” the governing body said.

The decision follows FIFA abandoning its proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) on Friday after widespread opposition from confederations and national associations over plans to allow minority private investment in a new subsidiary that would manage the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.

Over the weekend, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) intensified pressure on Infantino, calling for a "comprehensive reckoning" with his presidency.

"This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behavior. A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative," CONCACAF said in a statement.

On Saturday, UEFA also welcomed FIFA's withdrawal of the proposal but said the episode had seriously undermined confidence in the governing body's leadership.

"The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," UEFA said.​​​​​​​

The European governing body said it would work with its member associations and other confederations in the coming weeks to examine how the proposal came about and develop safeguards to ensure a similar situation does not happen again.