Scottish FA Withdraws Support For Infantino

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and confirmed that it will not back his bid for re-election in 2027.

SFA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell said Scotland had aligned itself with the position of UEFA and its 55 member associations, which have expressed a lack of confidence in FIFA’s current leadership.

“The SFA will not be voting for Gianni Infantino come the re-election in early 2027,” Maxwell told BBC Sport.

The decision follows growing controversy surrounding FIFA’s abandoned plan to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed company that would have managed the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

The proposal included plans to sell a 21 percent stake to a private investment company.

The plan was eventually scrapped following strong opposition from several football confederations, with UEFA leading criticism and warning of a possible boycott of FIFA competitions.

UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation recently accused FIFA of damaging trust through what they described as a lack of transparency over the proposal.

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They argued that the controversy raised fundamental questions about the integrity and governance of football’s world governing body.

FIFA has said it will present a report on the abandoned FFE proposal at the next FIFA Council meeting, expected in October.

However, the three confederations have called for an independent review rather than an internal assessment.

Scotland’s decision follows similar moves by the football associations of England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, all of which have withdrawn their backing for Infantino.

Despite the growing opposition, Infantino retains significant support, particularly among African, South American and Oceania football associations.

The division has also emerged within individual confederations. New Zealand, for example, has indicated that it will not follow Oceania’s position in supporting Infantino, while several Concacaf and Asian associations have also taken positions different from their respective confederations.

The split has raised questions over Infantino’s political influence within FIFA and whether he can effectively govern the organisation even if he secures another term.

Infantino is scheduled to seek a fourth term as FIFA president, with the election expected in March 2027. The deadline for potential challengers to declare their candidacy is November 18.

So far, no candidate has formally emerged to challenge him.

The first major test of the growing dispute could come next month when the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup begins in Poland, featuring several European teams.