The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election, becoming the latest European football association to distance itself from the FIFA chief amid a growing dispute over governance and the future direction of world football.

The Northern Ireland football governing body, the Irish Football Association (IFA), has stopped short of withdrawing its own support but has confirmed that it backs UEFA’s position on the matter.

The developments add to growing divisions within FIFA, with several European associations moving against Infantino while major football bodies in Africa and South America, as well as some associations in Asia, North America and Oceania, continue to support him.

The latest dispute centres largely on Infantino’s now-abandoned proposal to sell a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial rights to private investors through a new commercial entity. The plan, reportedly valued at about $4.2 billion, was met with strong opposition from several football stakeholders over concerns about transparency, consultation and governance.

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf subsequently issued a joint open letter accusing Infantino of breaking trust and called for an independent review of the failed proposal. The three confederations have also questioned his leadership and called for him to step aside rather than seek another term.

FAI withdraws support

The FAI, which governs football in the Republic of Ireland, said its board had decided to rescind an earlier letter supporting Infantino’s re-election.

“Following an FAI board meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Association supplied earlier this year,” it said.

“It has since written to Fifa to explain its reasoning.

“The Association is grateful for the support that Fifa provides to Irish football, but recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.

“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.”

The decision follows similar moves by several European associations, including Wales, Serbia and Sweden, which have withdrawn their support for Infantino’s re-election. England has also moved away from its previous position of support.

The latest European opposition has been driven primarily by concerns over the proposed commercialisation of FIFA competitions, the lack of consultation surrounding the plan and broader questions about Infantino’s approach to governance and decision-making.

IFA backs UEFA

In Northern Ireland, the IFA said it was aware of the wider concerns surrounding Infantino but had not formally withdrawn its support.

“We take our responsibilities as a member association of both Uefa and Fifa seriously,” said an IFA spokesperson.

“We support the current Uefa position on the matter and will continue to engage constructively on issues relating to football governance.

“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.”

Who still supports Infantino?

Infantino has not lost the backing of the entire FIFA membership.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South America's CONMEBOL remain among his strongest sources of institutional support. Several individual associations outside Europe also continue to back him, including Mexico and Qatar. Argentina has also been identified among the associations supporting Infantino.

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has also formally declared its support for Infantino, praising FIFA's achievements under his leadership and welcoming the withdrawal of the controversial commercial proposal. However, New Zealand has broken ranks with the regional body, withdrawing its support and calling for an independent review.

In Asia, the picture is more complicated. While the AFC leadership signed the letter opposing Infantino, individual associations within the confederation do not all share that position. Qatar, for example, has openly challenged the AFC's decision to join the criticism and has reaffirmed its support for Infantino.