Swiss FA withdraws support for Gianni Infantino’s bid for Fifa presidency

The Swiss Football Association (SFV) said on Wednesday it has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as Fifa president. The move was announced after the SFV’s executive committee reversed its previous endorsement.

The executive committee reversed its earlier June endorsement at a meeting this week. Infantino, who was born in Brig, an Alpine town in Valais canton in southern Switzerland, had been supported by the association in June. “The decision follows a comprehensive reassessment of developments over the past few months,” the SFV said in a statement. “From the SFV’s perspective, various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency and ‌decision-making processes within Fifa.”

Infantino is seeking re-election in March but has faced growing opposition since plans to sell a stake in Fifa tournaments, including the World Cup, were revealed in July. The subsequent outcry led to them swiftly being abandoned. That episode has been cited by critics as a catalyst for renewed scrutiny of Fifa governance.

The withdrawal is the latest blow to Infantino, with football associations in England, Wales, France, Serbia ‌and other European countries having already pulled their endorsements before the election. Uefa has pledged to present a rival candidate before the November deadline. Several national associations’ reversals have narrowed his pool of formal backers ahead of the re-election process.

Infantino has been Fifa president since 2016 and has faced calls for his resignation amid widespread pleas for reform. The 56-year-old wrote this month in a letter to member associations that he was open to talks over reform, but the SFV said key questions regarding Fifa’s ‌responsibilities and decision‑making process had been left unanswered.

“As these have not been convincingly clarified, we cannot justify continuing to support Gianni Infantino’s candidacy,” the SFV said. Infantino remains a candidate for the March election.