English FA set to withdraw support for Gianni Infantino, Sky reports

The Football Association is preparing to publish a letter announcing that it will withdraw its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, according to Sky.

The move would follow a wider loss of confidence in Infantino after FIFA’s previous proposal to sell stakes in some of its competitions to private investment companies. The plan attracted widespread criticism internationally, although FIFA later abandoned the idea.

The FA is expected to oppose Infantino’s bid to be re-elected as FIFA president, with its position placing it alongside the Football Association of Wales, which has already formally withdrawn its backing.

The Welsh FA announced that it no longer supports Infantino remaining in charge of world football for the next term. In an official statement, it confirmed that it would not support his candidacy for a further period from 2027 to 2031.

FIFA had proposed selling about 20% of a new entity responsible for managing its competitions, including the World Cup. The organisation reportedly hoped to raise as much as $4.2bn from the arrangement.

The proposal was later withdrawn following a broad international backlash. UEFA had previously threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in protest at the plan.

European football’s governing body had also said its national teams would boycott FIFA tournaments “as long as these proposals remain in place”.

UEFA’s opposition was followed by criticism from CONCACAF, which formally rejected the proposal and issued a statement questioning FIFA’s handling of the dispute.

The Asian Football Confederation also announced its opposition to the plan.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football said it would hold an Executive Committee meeting to assess FIFA’s proposed “FIFA Forward Enterprise” initiative.

The possible withdrawal of support by the FA would represent another significant challenge to Infantino’s position ahead of the next FIFA presidential election. Wales was the first national association to publicly confirm that it would no longer back him, while the FA is now expected to make its position official through the planned letter.

The controversy centres on FIFA’s attempt to explore alternative sources of funding for its competitions. Plans to involve private investors in a new commercial structure overseeing major tournaments became the subject of intense debate among football’s governing bodies.

Although FIFA stepped back from the proposal, the episode has continued to affect relations between the organisation and several confederations and national associations.

The dispute has included threats of competition boycotts, formal objections and calls for greater clarity over the management of FIFA’s tournaments. It has also raised questions over the level of confidence in Infantino as he seeks another term in office.

The FA’s intended announcement would therefore extend the opposition already expressed by Wales and add further pressure on FIFA leadership before the 2027-2031 presidential term is decided.