Welsh FA chief Noel Mooney tells BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast Gianni Infantino should step down

Noel Mooney, chief executive of the Football Association of Wales, told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast on 19 August 2026 that Fifa president Gianni Infantino should step down, citing the damage caused by Infantino's proposal to sell stakes in major Fifa competitions.

Gianni Infantino has been Fifa president since 2016, and Mooney — who previously worked alongside him at Uefa — said the attempt to sell off rights to World Cups and other tournaments had caused harm even though the sell-off plan has since been scrapped. The proposal involved creating a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights for all Fifa competitions, with 21% intended to be sold to a private investment company. Earlier this month Wales became the first home nation to withdraw its backing for Infantino, a position Mooney said was later echoed by other associations.

Mooney praised aspects of Infantino's career while arguing he must now consider stepping away, saying: "If I was sitting with Gianni right now, I would say to him he's had a very good career," and adding that "As general secretary of Uefa he did very good things. At Fifa, there were things like, for example, the work Arsene Wenger has done with the technical development scheme - that have really moved forward." He concluded the passage of the World Cup sell-off episode by saying: "But unfortunately with this episode that took place, with the proposal to sell off the crown jewels if you will, I definitely think he should look to step down."

Mooney told the radio programme that the FAW had been explicit in opposing the idea of Infantino continuing in his role and that it hoped a change would come. Wales, he said, was one of the first nations publicly to speak out against Infantino and "numerous others later following suit," a sequence he linked to mounting pressure on the Fifa president.

He called for an independent review of Fifa's internal arrangements, saying there needed to be scrutiny of "the governance, the processes, the structures of Fifa" in the wake of the controversy and suggesting there was "too much power that sits with one person" - the president - within Fifa's structure. Mooney added: "When you are looking at a Fifa president, you are looking at someone who is that moral guardian, the figurehead of world football, and you are looking for them to operate with transparency, [for] the good of the game, collaboration and so on."

Mooney also singled out Fifa council members and staff, saying: "There are brilliant council members at Fifa who are elected to partake in decision-making. There are brilliant staff members at Fifa. I feel sorry for them at the moment." He said trust had been damaged and argued that "only a full review that can't be led by the Fifa president will start the process of rebuilding trust."

Other football bodies and figures have publicly criticised Infantino: the Scottish FA withdrew its support, the Premier League chief said Fifa had "self-destructed" over the World Cup plan, and confederation presidents accused Infantino of breaking trust "through deception."

"There will be lots of discussions over the next few weeks," Mooney added, and said: "I am hoping Gianni is reflecting right now on his position. I assume people are speaking to him right now about considering his position and stepping down. I think it is clear there is pressure on Gianni to consider his position, so let's see what the coming days bring."