FIFA: The Welsh federation withdraws its support for the re-election of President Infantino

The Welsh Football Association became the first FIFA member association to withdraw its support for President Gianni Infantino in the race for re-election, it announced on Monday, a few days after the international federation withdrew its controversial plan to open itself up to outside investors.

"The failures in terms of good governance, processes, and leadership (...) put us in a position where Mr. Infantino has lost the confidence of the Welsh federation to remain at the helm of world football," the federation explained in its statement.

"Failing to put the interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept," the Welsh body added.

FIFA announced last Tuesday its plan to create a company - FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) - open to private investors and responsible for managing the commercial and event activities of the organization, including the World Cup.

Faced with strong opposition from several confederations, including the powerful European organization UEFA, which had threatened to boycott the World Cups, the world body announced the withdrawal of the project on Friday night.

On Saturday, UEFA sharply criticized Infantino, accusing him of reneging on his commitments with this "shady, opaque project hatched behind closed doors." It stated that he had "lost the confidence" of the governing body, as had "many other members of the football family."

Infantino is currently the only declared candidate for re-election as head of world football's governing body. The election will take place in March 2027 in Rabat for a four-year term.