FAW chief Noel Mooney calls on FIFA president Infantino to step down

What happened: Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, saying the organisation needs new leadership after a controversial investment proposal. BBC Sport reported Mooney's comments on Wednesday after he spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

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Infantino had faced criticism over a plan to create a new company that would manage the commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cups. Under the proposal, a 21% stake in that company would have been sold to a private investment business. The plan has since been abandoned, but Mooney said the episode had caused harm to football.

Mooney, who previously worked alongside Infantino at UEFA, acknowledged parts of the FIFA president's record before arguing that the proposed sale of what he called football's crown jewels should prompt him to leave. He pointed to technical development work led by Arsene Wenger as an example of progress during Infantino's tenure, while maintaining that the investment plan had damaged trust.

Earlier in August, Wales became the first of the United Kingdom's home nations to withdraw its backing for Infantino's attempt to continue leading FIFA. BBC Sport reported that Wales was also among the first national associations to oppose the investment proposal publicly, with other countries later following its position. Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016.

Why it matters: The FAW's stance adds an official national association voice to pressure on FIFA's leadership. Mooney said discussions were expected over the coming weeks and expressed hope that Infantino was reflecting on his position. He also said he believed people were speaking to the president about the possibility of stepping down, though no decision from Infantino was reported.

What to watch: Mooney called for a review of FIFA's governance, processes and structures, arguing that too much authority sits with the president. He said any full review intended to rebuild trust should not be led by Infantino. The next development will be whether more national associations formally join Wales in withdrawing support or whether FIFA announces a governance response to the abandoned proposal.