The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) have officially thrown their support behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino. This move comes as the world football governing body faces intense scrutiny and a significant backlash following a now-abandoned proposal to sell off portions of the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup.
The FMF, which served as a co-host for the recently concluded World Cup, has notably broken ranks with its own regional confederation, CONCACAF. While CONCACAF has publicly called for a “comprehensive reckoning” regarding Infantino’s presidency, the Mexican federation has chosen to align itself with the incumbent leader. In a formal statement, the FMF declared that it would neither recognize nor approve any leadership transition process that occurs outside of the established institutional framework. The federation explicitly stated its support for Infantino’s leadership, emphasizing a commitment to the continued development of football through institutional strengthening for the benefit of all 211 member associations.
The international landscape remains deeply divided. On Thursday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) offered unanimous support for Infantino’s leadership. Conversely, European football’s governing body, UEFA, maintains its firm stance, remaining committed to boycotting the World Cup and other FIFA-sanctioned competitions. The Asian Football Confederation has also weighed in, confirming that it stands in solidarity with both UEFA and CONCACAF in their opposition to the current direction of the organization.
South America’s governing body, CONMEBOL, issued a nuanced statement on Thursday. While it rejected any attempt to oust Infantino that does not involve a democratic vote of all 211 member associations, it also expressed significant concerns regarding the “repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue.” CONMEBOL stressed the vital importance of the institutional reforms that FIFA introduced over a decade ago to ensure transparency and prevent the concentration of power.
Argentina’s football association (AFA) sent a formal letter to Infantino expressing its backing for FIFA’s work over the past decade. The AFA noted that the organization’s efforts have been “centred on the development of soccer worldwide and institutional strength based on a clear, stable, and transparent governance model.” While the AFA acknowledged that the commercial rights proposal generated far more uncertainties than certainties and admitted that errors were made, it argued that the most productive path forward is to continue working under FIFA’s current leadership ahead of next year’s Congress.
The controversy has cast a long shadow over Infantino’s bid for a fourth term, which is set to be decided at the FIFA Congress in Morocco this March. What appeared to be a guaranteed reelection two months ago is now a subject of intense debate. Despite the pressure, no clear challenger has emerged to contest the seat, and the Swiss administrator retains significant institutional support.
Individual national associations have also begun to distance themselves from the FIFA president. The Croatian Football Federation recently joined England and Albania in withdrawing support. “This decision followed a thorough reassessment within the federation in light of recent developments surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 and discussions within our governing bodies,” the Croatian federation explained in a public statement.
The criticism reached a new peak on Thursday when the global players’ union, FIFPRO, issued a scathing assessment. The union characterized the commercial rights proposal not merely as a governance failure, but as a “profound abuse of presidential power.” This sentiment reflects the growing frustration among stakeholders regarding the decision-making processes at the highest levels of the organization.
In response to the mounting pressure, FIFA held a meeting in Rabat this week. The organization issued an apology to its members for the mistakes surrounding the proposal to sell a portion of the World Cup’s commercial future. FIFA has pledged to conduct a thorough review of the internal processes that led to the controversy. The governing body maintains that all actions taken regarding the commercial rights proposal were in compliance with its existing regulations, insisting that the errors were related to communication and process rather than actual breaches of governance rules.
No clear candidate to stand against Infantino in March’s election has yet emerged, however, and the Swiss administrator still enjoys considerable support, including on Thursday from 2022 world champions Argentina.
