Irish FAs Withdraw Support for Infantino Amid Governance Concerns

Gianni Infantino’s grip on power at the top of world football has taken another heavy blow, with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) formally withdrawing its backing for the Fifa president and the Irish Football Association (IFA) in Northern Ireland throwing its weight behind Uefa’s hardening stance.

What began as a murmur of discontent inside Europe has turned into a clear public rebuke.

On Monday, Uefa, together with Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, put their anger in writing. In an open letter, they accused Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” over his attempt to sell a stake in Fifa’s commercial operations to a private investment company. The deal has since been abandoned, but the damage is done. His push for a fourth term now hangs in the balance.

The Welsh FA was the first of the home nations to move, withdrawing its support last week. The English FA followed. Now the Republic of Ireland has joined the revolt.

After a board meeting, the FAI confirmed it has rescinded its earlier letter of support for Infantino and has written to Fifa to spell out why.

“Following an FAI board meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Association supplied earlier this year,” the association said. It stressed that while it remains “grateful for the support that Fifa provides to Irish football”, the recent saga has triggered “significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation”.

Those words carry extra weight in Dublin. The FAI has spent recent years trying to repair its own reputation after governance turmoil and financial crisis. That experience now shapes its stance.

“Considering the governance challenges that the FAI has had to overcome in recent years, the Association feels a particular obligation to advocate for and uphold best practice,” it added.

Across the border, the IFA stopped short of an outright withdrawal of support, but the direction of travel is clear. It has lined up behind Uefa’s position and pointed to “wider concerns” across the game about Infantino’s leadership.

“We take our responsibilities as a member association of both Uefa and Fifa seriously,” an IFA spokesperson said. “We support the current Uefa position on the matter and will continue to engage constructively on issues relating to football governance.”

The message from Belfast was measured, but it underlined the unease.

“We are of course aware of the recent developments and wider concerns within the football community. We are considering these matters carefully and will continue to engage through the appropriate governance structures and channels.

At this stage, we have no further comment.”

The silence after that last line is telling. As more associations reassess their loyalties, the question is no longer who will speak out, but how long Infantino can withstand the drip, drip, drip of support slipping away.