'Iron Fist' Infantino fully alienated in Europe... French Football Federation halts support after just three months, withdrawing backing for his fourth term bid

*This content was translated by AI.

The French Football Federation (FFF) officially withdrew its support for Gianni Infantino (56), president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in his bid for a fourth term.

On the 10th (local time), the FFF held an executive committee meeting and unanimously resolved not to support In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) in the upcoming FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027 in Morocco.

This comes just three months after expressing support for him as the sole candidate last June. Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF, declared that "the preconditions for support established since July have collapsed and trust has been broken."

The core background for withdrawing support is Infantino's unilateral and opaque decision-making. In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) faced strong opposition from continental confederations across Europe, Asia, and North/Central America, along with demands for his resignation, after attempting to sell a 20% stake in a subsidiary dedicated to managing tournaments such as the World Cup to a private U.S. fund last July.

Additionally, the recent incident where the suspension of U.S. national team player Paulina Valogian was lifted immediately following a question raised by U.S. President Donald Trump during the World Cup period also served as a factor fueling distrust in FIFA's governance structure.

The FFF stated, "As a founding member of FIFA, we have the historical legitimacy to voice our opposition to the wrong direction," and called for fundamental reforms, noting that "FIFA's governance directly conflicts with the basic values of football." Accordingly, France plans to coordinate with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to explore alternatives before the candidate registration deadline on November 18. In this process, consultations will also be held with key figures such as former FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who was dismissed for criticizing the share sale.

However, despite the backlash centered around European confederations, Infantino's chances of re-election are still assessed as high. Foreign media outlets including Reuters analyzed that "In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) has firmly maintained support from numerous member countries in Africa, South America, and Oceania, meaning he has already secured the votes necessary for re-election."

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*This content was translated by AI.