ONE TOUCH SUMMARY
- French Football Federation withdraws support for Gianni Infantino's FIFA presidency re-election.
- FFF cites Infantino's actions during and after the 2026 World Cup as damaging football's image and unity.
- France will now back an alternative candidate and push for far-reaching FIFA reform before the March election.
ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
The French Football Federation’s withdrawal of support for Gianni Infantino is not a protest — it is a declaration that his leadership has crossed a line France will no longer tolerate. By citing events during the World Cup and the discredited sell-off plan, President Philippe Diallo framed Infantino’s actions as unilateral and opaque, damaging football’s unity. This is not about policy disagreement; it is a loss of trust in the president’s stewardship of the sport’s shared assets.
Diallo’s reference to Folarin Balogun’s overturned suspension — influenced by Donald Trump’s lobbying — underscores the pattern: decisions shaped by external pressure rather than regulatory integrity. France, as a founding member and consistent top-three world-ranked team, insists it has both historical and sporting legitimacy to challenge deviations from its vision of global football. The FFF’s unanimous vote signals institutional resolve, not fleeting discontent.
Having already consulted experts like former Fifa COO Kevin Lamour — dismissed for criticising the sell-off plan — France will now actively participate in Uefa’s search for an alternative candidate ahead of the 18 November deadline. The concrete next step to watch is whether France formally endorses a rival nominee before the March Fifa congress election.
WHY IT MATTERS
The French FA's withdrawal marks a significant blow to Infantino's re-election bid, reflecting growing elite European dissent over his leadership style and controversial initiatives like the failed World Cup sell-off plan.
TACTICAL FIT
This move signals a strategic shift by France to leverage its historical and sporting influence within FIFA to advocate for governance reform, potentially reshaping the contours of the upcoming presidential contest.
THE DEBATE
Should national associations prioritize sporting success over ethical leadership when backing FIFA presidential candidates?
Raphaël Jucobin in Paris
Thu 10 Sep 2026 13.03 EDT Last modified on Thu 10 Sep 2026 13.17 EDT
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The French Football Federation’s president, Philippe Diallo, said Gianni Infantino had “seriously damaged the image and the unity of football” as he announced the end of France’s support for the Fifa president’s re-election.
The FFF’s executive committee unanimously voted on Thursday to withdraw its backing, which had been formalised at the end of June. Diallo referred to “events during the World Cup” which had “flagrantly gone against the way we believe our sport should be run” and to Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan, which was revealed in July and scrapped after a widespread backlash.
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During the World Cup the suspension of the US forward Folarin Balogun was overturned by Fifa after lobbying from Donald Trump. The US president said he called Infantino to recommend that Balogun be allowed to play. Fifa has said the decision taken by its disciplinary committee was “a balanced measure” and “based on an explicit provision of the applicable regulations”.
Diallo outlined the reasons for the loss in confidence: “From July onwards, the conditions which led to us to support his candidacy had been disrupted. Does the withdrawal of the [sell-off] project solve the issue? I don’t think so. His initiatives during and after the World Cup have seriously damaged the image and the unity of football. As a result, we believe that trust has been broken.”
Diallo said of the initial decision to support Infantino: “It would be wrong to say that certain developments in football were not made under his mandate.” But he added: “When you are making changes to the game itself, in a unilateral and opaque fashion to sell our shared asset, that changes our appreciation.
“France is one of the founding members of Fifa, and as such we have a historical legitimacy to intervene when we feel that Fifa and its president are deviating from our vision of how world football should be run. We also have sporting legitimacy, as one of the top three teams in the world rankings over the last 10 years. We wanted to make it clear that we refuse to go in a direction which does not correspond to the general interest of our sport.”
When reports of the sell-off project came to light, the FFF expressed “doubts and deep concerns”. Uefa threatened a boycott of Fifa competitions and several European countries, including Wales and England, withdrew their support for Infantino but the FFF had not until Thursday publicly disavowed him.
Diallo indicated France would play an active part in Uefa’s search for an alternative candidate for the Fifa presidency before the 18 November deadline. The election will take place in March during Fifa’s next congress.
Before then, Diallo said, the FFF would reach out to figures it considers experts in “transparency and good governance” in football and beyond as part of France’s “contribution to the debate”, as it pushes for “far-reaching reform” of Fifa.
He cited Kevin Lamour, the former Fifa chief operating officer who was dismissed after criticising the sell-off plan, as one of the people the FFF would look to consult.
Fifa was approached for comment.
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