French Football Federation withdraws support for embattled FIFA President Infantino

The French Football Federation (FFF) has just ended a political alliance of more than a decade. On Thursday, September 10, in a highly anticipated meeting of its executive committee, the organization decided to withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino, who is running for re-election as president of FIFA in March 2027, a source close to the matter told Le Monde. The FFF had steadfastly backed the Italian-Swiss leader for 10 years, helping to secure his election as head of the global organization in February 2016.

This break was prompted by the crisis of confidence into which Infantino plunged world football with his plan, called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which was ultimately abandoned on August 1. The plan involved creating a commercial entity and partially opening FIFA up to private investors, some of whom were linked to the family of US President Donald Trump.

This announcement runs counter to a recent stance taken by FFF President Philippe Diallo. Le Monde has learned Diallo signed a letter of support for Infantino in June, during the World Cup, for the March 2027 vote, as did 200 of his counterparts worldwide. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.

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