Serbia and Sweden join Wales in withdrawing support for Infantino's re-election

The football federations of Serbia and Sweden joined Wales yesterday in withdrawing their support for the re-election of Gianni Infantino as president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

Negative reactions against the FIFA president intensified following the failure of his plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. On Saturday, FIFA retreated from its ambitious plan, which aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion from private investors by selling a roughly 20% stake in a new entity overseeing competitions including the World Cup, after fierce resistance from stakeholders.

In a statement, the Serbian Football Association said: “We have withdrawn our support for Infantino for a new term as FIFA president. We remind that we provided our support for Infantino on May 25 in a written letter, but after a careful review of recent events that have caused serious damage to the reputation of both FIFA and its president, this is the only logical and rational decision.”

The Swedish Football Association followed suit, stating: “In an extraordinary board meeting, we decided not to support Infantino in the upcoming elections,” adding: “This comes after a long-term assessment of developments within FIFA and the organization’s leadership. The decision is based on repeated shortcomings in governance, transparency, and management, meaning that confidence in Gianni Infantino’s leadership no longer exists.”

For his part, Arsène Wenger, the French director of global football development at FIFA, said that the decision to abandon the controversial project by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, which involved selling stakes in the World Cup, was “extremely necessary and indisputable.” Wenger, the most successful manager in Arsenal’s history, joined the wave of opponents to Infantino, clarifying that he had opposed the project to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup tournament to private investors through “FIFA Forward Enterprise.”

In a statement, he said: “Recent events at FIFA require some clarification from my side.” He continued: “I was not involved in this strategic plan, and I only learned about the project through media reports.” He added: “The decision to withdraw the project was extremely necessary and indisputable, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with dedication, transparency, and integrity.”

Wenger’s criticism came after comments by FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer, his compatriot Kevin Larmor, who said last week that employees of the global football body had been “deceived” by Infantino.

Several European federations have withdrawn their support for Infantino in an attempt to ensure he does not remain in power for the long term.

Infantino is scheduled to run for re-election in March for a final term as head of FIFA, and he will need 106 votes out of 211 member associations to win.

The Welsh Football Association issued a statement on Monday, confirming the withdrawal of its support. The English Football Association is also believed to be preparing to send a message to FIFA to confirm its change in position.

UEFA issued a statement on Saturday welcoming the withdrawal of the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” project, but it affirmed that it had “lost confidence” in Infantino. Additionally, clubs within the European Club Association group communicated directly with FIFA, expressing their concern about the project.