Northern Ireland’s Football Association Pulls Backing for FIFA Chief Infantino Ahead of 2025 Vote

The Irish Football Association has announced that it is “time for change” at FIFA and confirmed it will not support president Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election next year.

Infantino has faced mounting criticism following his abandoned effort to divest a 21% stake in FIFA’s commercial operations to a private investment firm.

The proposal was scrapped after widespread backlash, with UEFA warning it would boycott all FIFA competitions if the deal went ahead.

The IFA, the governing body responsible for football in Northern Ireland, had previously aligned with UEFA’s position without formally withdrawing its support. It has now stated that Infantino’s plan raised “fundamental questions” about the organisation’s direction.

“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,” the association said in a statement.

“We believe the time has come for change.”

The Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland have already publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino, who is set to seek a fourth term as president in March.

If the 56-year-old Swiss official secures re-election, his tenure will extend to 15 years by the conclusion of the term in 2031.

Source link