FIFA president Gianni Infantino with the World Cup trophy at the organisation's Swiss headquarters

Geneva (AFP) - The Swiss Football Association (SFV) announced Wednesday it was withdrawing its support for beleaguered incumbent Gianni Infantino in next year’s FIFA presidential election.

Several leading European national associations have pulled their support for Infantino, after he caused uproar in July with proposals to create a commercial subsidiary to run FIFA’s biggest events, such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

The SFV’s decision carries weight as Infantino is Swiss, and both FIFA and European football’s governing body UEFA are based in Switzerland.

The SFV said its executive board met on Friday and “decided to withdraw the support it had declared in June 2026 for Gianni Infantino’s candidacy for a further term as FIFA president”.

Infantino’s plan would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in a company created under the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative. The backlash that followed led to the proposals being quickly shelved.

The SFV said events in recent months raised fundamental questions over leadership, governance, transparency and decision-making processes with world football’s governing body.

It cited Infantino’s FFE plans and the lifting of red-carded United States forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension during this year’s World Cup, following a phone call to Infantino from US President Donald Trump.

- ‘Special responsibility’ -

SFV president Peter Knabel said that Swiss football’s governing body expected FIFA’s leadership to uphold the highest standards of transparency, accountability and institutional responsibility.

He said Infantino’s proposals last week for “a consultation” with national federations to reform FIFA’s governance sent an important signal, and could contribute to improving the situation.

However, “key questions regarding the background, responsibilities and decision-making processes remain unanswered”, said Knabel.

“As these have not been convincingly clarified, we cannot justify continuing to support Gianni Infantino’s candidacy.”

UEFA – the regional federation that represents World Cup holders Spain and football powerhouses such as France, England and Germany – is leading the opposition to Infantino, calling openly for his removal.

The SFV, a UEFA member, insisted its decision did not signal a move away from constructive cooperation within FIFA and the global football community.

As the association for the country where FIFA and UEFA are based, “the SFV is aware of its special responsibility and will continue to champion transparency, credible and reliable structure, rules-based decision-making processes”, it said.

It called for a strong and united global football community characterised by integrity.

Infantino retains the support of 2034 World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia, while African football’s governing body CAF and South America’s CONMEBOL are also supportive.

Candidate nominations for next March’s FIFA election must be submitted by November 18. Infantino is the only candidate so far.