French Football Federation Withdraws Support from Infantino, Isolated Candidate for FIFA Presidency

The French Football Federation is joining the camp of Gianni Infantino’s opponents. According to information revealed Wednesday, FFF president Philippe Diallo is expected to formally announce the withdrawal of French support at the executive committee meeting held at the federation’s headquarters on Thursday, just months before the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 18, 2027 in Rabat.

Infantino, 56, has been going through turbulent times since the end of the 2026 World Cup. The revelation of his plan to sell shares of the World Cup to private investors caused a rift with several federations that had previously backed him. The FFF, long hesitant about its official position, is now taking the step.

In Europe, the list of federations that have abandoned the FIFA president is growing: Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and England have already distanced themselves. UEFA is openly pushing Infantino to step down. The North American (CONCACAF) and Asian (AFC) confederations co-signed an open letter with UEFA reminding him that football “belongs to no individual”.

Despite this growing opposition, Infantino remains for now the only declared candidate for his own succession. He can still count on the support of Donald Trump, to whom he awarded the FIFA “Peace Prize”, as well as that of Patrice Motsepe, president of the African Football Confederation (CAF). These endorsements, however, do not offset the continued erosion of his European base, which is confirmed by the FFF’s imminent announcement.