Swiss FA withdraws Infantino endorsement over FIFA governance concerns

The Swiss Football Association has withdrawn its endorsement of Gianni Infantino for another term as FIFA president, reversing the backing it gave him in June. The decision was announced on Wednesday, September 30, as the governing body's leadership faces questions over its handling of recent controversies, according to reporting by dpa.

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The association's central board took the decision at its September 25 meeting after reviewing developments over recent months. Swiss football outlet 4-4-2 reported that the SFV identified concerns about how FIFA is led, how decisions are reached and how those decisions are explained. The withdrawal concerns Infantino's candidacy for a further term in office.

In its statement, reproduced by 4-4-2, the SFV singled out two areas: clarity of rules and sporting integrity in the Balogun case, and the involvement and accountability of FIFA's institutions in the FIFA Forward Enterprise project. The association said credible leadership required openness, accountability and a meaningful role for the bodies responsible under FIFA's statutes.

SFV president Peter Knäbel acknowledged that FIFA had signalled possible improvements. According to dpa, he was responding to Infantino's letter to national associations offering discussions about potential reforms. Knäbel nevertheless said important questions about the background to decisions, the people responsible and the processes involved remained unanswered. Those gaps meant continued support for the candidacy could not be justified.

Switzerland's reversal follows a similar decision in France. Le Monde reported that the French federation's executive committee withdrew its endorsement on September 10, ending a longstanding alliance with Infantino. The newspaper linked that decision to the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have brought private investors into a new commercial structure. It reported that the project was dropped on August 1.

The next FIFA presidential election is due in March 2027. Dpa reported that Infantino's letter did not indicate he would abandon his bid. For the Swiss association, the issue remains whether the promised changes answer its underlying concerns: its board said the developments since June and the questions still outstanding no longer provided a sufficient basis for confidence in FIFA's leadership.