French Football Federation Withdraws Support for Infantino: World Cup Stake Privatization Dispute Shakes Global Football Governance

The executive committee of the French Football Federation on Thursday unanimously decided to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election next year. President Philippe Diallo stated bluntly that "trust in the FIFA president has been broken," and pointed out that France's vision for the direction of world football governance is "no longer aligned" with FIFA's actual practices.

According to Al Jazeera reports, the trigger for this shift in position was a proposal previously put forward by Infantino: to sell a 20% stake in FIFA events — including the World Cup — to private investors. The plan was shelved in July amid broad opposition from football confederations across all continents.

Diallo said France had offered its support at the end of June when Infantino was still the only publicly declared candidate, but the situation has since changed fundamentally. "The conditions under which we supported his candidacy no longer exist," he said. The stake-sale proposal was put forward without proper consultation or information sharing with the confederations, which Diallo considers a "serious question" about FIFA's governance and decision-making methods.

France is not the only European federation to defect. According to Al Jazeera, the football associations of England, Italy, Belgium, Scotland and Sweden have all adjusted or withdrawn their support for Infantino. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) have publicly called for a change at the top of FIFA and are working to put forward a "credible alternative candidate" ahead of the presidential election scheduled for March 18, 2027 in Rabat, Morocco. The candidate registration deadline is November 18.

Diallo stressed that France's shift in position is part of a movement within UEFA and beyond, and that subsequent discussions will focus on governance reform and nominating a candidate capable of winning the presidency. "Criticism alone is not enough," he noted. "If you want to move things forward, you also have to put forward proposals."

Infantino currently still enjoys the support of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This means the Rabat election will feature a rare global football power standoff: a reformist bloc composed of European, Asian and North/Central American federations facing off against an incumbent president who has solid roots in the two southern continents.

The controversy surrounding the 20% stake sale has pushed a deeper question to the fore: when a non-profit international organization headquartered in Zurich attempts to partially privatize one of its core assets — the World Cup — who has the right to participate in this decision? Diallo's remarks, together with the previous joint calls by UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF for "a change of leadership," indicate that this top-down style of decision-making is triggering structural tensions within global football.

The final showdown will take place in Rabat in five months.