Wales Pulls Support for Infantino and Plays Down Talk of Major FIFA Reform
Wales will not back Gianni Infantino to stay on as FIFA president.
The Football Association of Wales, which runs the game in Wales, is among the first national associations to withdraw support for his continued leadership. Noel Mooney, the FAW's chief executive, confirmed the stance on BBC Radio Wales Phone In, saying Wales would not endorse Infantino's candidacy. BBC Sport
Infantino leads FIFA, world football's governing body. It runs the World Cup and sets the framework for the international game alongside the lawmakers. He has written to FIFA Council members — the small decision-making group at the top of FIFA — and to all national associations proposing an external review of how FIFA operates.
The letter says an independent process would recommend potential improvements. Some have taken that language to mean wide reform of FIFA itself is on the table.
Mooney said that did not match his reading. He said the letter referred to reform around strategic projects and initiatives, not reform of FIFA itself. In his view, suggestions of a major overhaul went further than what Infantino had actually written.
The discussion follows the end of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. That aborted plan would have involved selling stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.
Infantino will stand for election for a fourth term in March 2027. Anyone hoping to challenge him has until 18 November to find an alternative candidate. That leaves under two months for opposition to organise.
Infantino has previously said he is open to talks over reform. That offer still leaves big questions unanswered about what any review would cover, who would run it and what power it would have.
What makes this stand out is the source of the pushback. Wales is not one of football's biggest financial powers. But small associations carry votes in FIFA elections, and early breaks give cover for others to follow. A short statement from Cardiff can travel a long way in Zurich.
For fans, this changes little on the pitch. No matches change. No tournaments move. It does matter off it, because who runs FIFA shapes where money goes, how tournaments are sold and how the international calendar fits around club football.
