FAW renews call for Infantino to step down amid FIFA governance dispute

The Football Association of Wales has renewed its call for Gianni Infantino to step down as FIFA president, with chief executive Noel Mooney saying its opposition to his leadership remains unchanged. Speaking to BBC Wales, Mooney said the association wanted both a change at the top of world football and a broader review of how the sport is governed.

The FAW withdrew its support for Infantino in early August, according to BBC Sport. Mooney said Wales had been the first country to announce that it would not back his re-election. He argued that the global governing system was failing to meet the association's expectations and that a FIFA president should consistently safeguard the game's interests. His comments reaffirmed that the Welsh position had not shifted.

Infantino presented a different assessment of his standing over the weekend. BBC Sport reported that he claimed overwhelming support across world football and dismissed questions about whether he had considered resigning. He has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking re-election for a third time, leaving his account of widespread backing at odds with the Welsh association's continuing public opposition.

The dispute follows the emergence in July of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, known as FFE, to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. The plan prompted calls for Infantino to leave office. Earlier this month, he apologised to the FIFA Council over the way the project had been communicated and the consultation surrounding it, the BBC reported.

UEFA has separately called on FIFA to release key documents and answer questions about its governance and decision-making by 2 November. Mooney referred to that request in his BBC Wales interview, criticising the oversight and safeguards surrounding the FFE project. The European governing body's demand for information remains a distinct part of the dispute alongside the FAW's opposition to Infantino's re-election.

Mooney also made clear that replacing the president alone would not address the FAW's concerns. He called for changes to football's governing structure and objected to the concentration of authority in one office. His comments therefore extended beyond the proposed sale of competition stakes to the wider distribution of power within the sport.