The French Football Federation became the latest football federation to withdraw support of FIFA president Gianni Infantino in his upcoming re-election bid.
Infantino, who has held FIFA’s top spot since February of 2016, has been under fire since an aborted plan to sell a reported $4.2 billion stake in the World Cup to private investors, with multiple national governing bodies calling for his resignation or replacement.
“Whilst support had initially been given to the FIFA president, who was then the sole candidate for his own succession, the conditions for that support are no longer met,” the FFF said in a statement Thursday.
“A series of events directly involving FIFA’s governance and its president, and in direct conflict with the fundamental principles of good governance and the values of football, occurred after the FFF expressed its support on June 29.”
Three governing bodies called for Infantino’s resignation after his plan was revealed to raise billions from investors. Those included UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia).
France now joins the individual federations of England, Ireland, Wales and Serbia in pulling support.
Nominations for candidates wishing to challenge Infantino must be submitted by Nov. 18. CONCACAF president and current FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani is expected to enter the election process.
