Irish FA withdraws backing for Fifa president Gianni Infantino

The Irish Football Association, the governing body for football in Northern Ireland, announced it will not vote for Gianni Infantino's re-election at Fifa next year and has withdrawn its support for the president. The association said the decision followed scrutiny of Infantino's recent commercial proposals.

Infantino has been Fifa president since 2016. He is scheduled to stand for a fourth term as president in March.

The president came under increasing scrutiny after an aborted plan to sell a 21% stake in Fifa's commercial operations to a private investment company. Those plans were scrapped following widespread criticism, with Uefa threatening a boycott of all Fifa competitions.

The IFA had previously backed Uefa's stance without formally withdrawing support, but said Infantino's proposal raised "fundamental questions" of the president.

The IFA said in a statement: "The proposal to sell part of Fifa's assets to a private equity firm without consultation, represents more than a failure of communication. In our view, it raises fundamental questions about strategy, governance and stewardship of our assets. "We believe the time has come for change."

The Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have previously publicly withdrawn support for Infantino.

Should the 56-year-old Swiss be successful, by the end of the term in 2031, his tenure will have been extended to 15 years.