Argentina declares support for Infantino as FIFA tensions widen

The Argentine Football Association has backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino, just hours after South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL expressed concern over what it called repeated unilateral actions by FIFA.

The statement represents important support for Infantino as he faces growing pressure over the governing body’s decision to abandon a controversial plan to create a commercial company and sell part of its capital to private-sector investors.

In a statement addressed to Infantino and published in the early hours of Friday, the Argentine Football Association said: “We would like to express to you, and through you to the FIFA administration, our support for the management carried out over the past 10 years.”

The association praised FIFA’s decision to withdraw the proposed commercial project. It said Infantino’s acknowledgement of mistakes made during the project’s preparation, together with his apology to FIFA’s 211 member associations, was a positive step.

The statement, reported by RMC, added: “You are at the head of an administration that has enabled a profound transformation at FIFA, an administration that has opened the organisation’s doors to all member associations and confederations, allowing us, through frank and direct dialogue, to continue working together to develop football at all levels and in all its disciplines.”

The Argentine federation also said: “As the next FIFA Congress approaches, the association reaffirms its deep conviction that the way forward is to continue working under your leadership, in order to keep developing better and more inclusive football.”

Argentina’s public backing comes after CONMEBOL issued a stronger warning on Thursday evening. The South American confederation said unanimously that it was concerned by “the repeated unilateral actions being taken without resorting to dialogue or the institutional mechanisms established to deal with such cases”.

CONMEBOL also raised the possibility that it might not renew its support for Infantino at the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027. Infantino remains the only candidate for the position at present.

The dispute follows continued opposition from Europe’s football associations, which comprise 55 FIFA members. They have maintained their boycott of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, despite FIFA abandoning its commercial proposal.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, known as CONCACAF, which has 35 FIFA member associations, has also called for a “comprehensive review” of the way FIFA is governed.

The Confederation of African Football, or CAF, which represents 54 member associations, unanimously renewed its support for Infantino. The Asian Football Confederation, with 46 members, remains divided over its position on the FIFA president.

The conflicting responses have emerged ahead of the March 2027 FIFA presidential election, amid increasingly serious disagreements between Infantino and several continental and national associations over FIFA’s leadership style and decision-making process.

Infantino’s withdrawal of the commercial plan has eased one immediate source of controversy, but the differing positions across the confederations show that tensions over the direction of FIFA remain unresolved.