France withdraws support for Gianni Infantino ahead of FIFA election

The Federation Francaise de Football (FFF) has withdrawn its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the election scheduled for 18 March 2027, joining a number of other European football associations in opposing his bid for another term.

The decision was announced on Thursday and reflects growing criticism of Infantino’s leadership from within European football. France’s position has been led by Philippe Diallo, who immediately rejected a proposal associated with the FIFA president to transfer World Cup shares to private funds.

Those funds were reportedly controlled by people close to United States president Donald Trump. Infantino eventually froze the initiative after it triggered widespread controversy.

Diallo has also criticised the way FIFA’s financial prizes have been distributed in recent tournaments, according to Spanish broadcaster COPE. The French football official expressed his regret that the Club World Cup received substantially better funding than the 2026 World Cup, which is being staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Club World Cup was held for the first time in 2025, following Infantino’s efforts to establish and promote the competition. Diallo’s comparison between the two tournaments has become another source of disagreement between the FFF and the FIFA president.

The head of the French federation has further objected to what he regards as Infantino’s non-collective style of decision-making. Infantino, a Swiss official born to Italian parents, was first elected FIFA president in 2016, after a major crisis had shaken the organisation over corruption cases.

France’s stance broadly matches that of UEFA, whose Slovenian president Aleksander Ceferin is engaged in an open confrontation with Infantino. The relationship between the two organisations has become increasingly strained as European football authorities challenge several of FIFA’s recent initiatives.

Infantino’s projects have also contributed to the departure of some of his closest associates. Among them is Frenchman Kevin Lamour, who was regarded as the third-highest-ranking figure at FIFA until the beginning of last August.

The FFF’s withdrawal therefore combines objections to FIFA’s proposed financial arrangements, the distribution of tournament revenues and the way decisions are made under Infantino’s leadership. It leaves France aligned with other European associations that have moved away from the FIFA president before the 2027 election.