French Football Federation Withdraws Support for Gianni Infantino

The French Football Federation has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino's campaign for another term as FIFA president, ending a decade-long alliance with the head of world football's governing body. BBC Sport and Le Monde reported that the FFF executive committee reached the decision at a meeting on Thursday.

Watch the highlights:

Infantino is seeking re-election in March 2027. France had supported him since his first successful FIFA presidential campaign in 2016, and FFF president Philippe Diallo signed a letter backing his candidacy during the 2026 World Cup in June, according to Le Monde. Thursday's decision reverses that position.

The FFF said FIFA needed a deep transformation of its governance and a genuine democratic debate within the organisation. Its position follows a period of scrutiny over FIFA's decision-making and transparency, with French football officials arguing that the governing body's current operation no longer matched its responsibilities.

The dispute intensified around the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have created a commercial entity and opened part of FIFA's business to private investors. The plan included the prospect of selling stakes linked to future World Cup revenues. Infantino abandoned the proposal on August 1 after widespread opposition, saying the divisions it had created meant it was no longer in the project's interest to proceed.

France is not the first European football association to withdraw its backing. Several federations had already distanced themselves from Infantino following the controversy, while UEFA called for a review of FIFA's leadership and governance. Belgium also removed its support in September, adding to the pressure ahead of the next presidential election.

The French decision does not itself determine who will lead FIFA after the 2027 vote, which is decided by the organisation's member associations. It does, however, remove the backing of one of Infantino's long-standing supporters and adds institutional weight to calls for governance reform. The FFF's stated focus now extends beyond the identity of the president to how FIFA makes decisions and subjects its leadership to scrutiny.