Scottish FA withdraws support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino
The Scottish Football Association has officially lost confidence in Gianni Infantino and will not support his re-election as Fifa president following controversies over commercial rights.
The decision comes amid mounting pressure on the global governing body’s leadership regarding a recently abandoned commercial venture.
Fifa Forward Enterprise was a proposed company designed to manage commercial and ticketing rights for all major tournaments, including future World Cups.
The highly controversial plan aimed to sell a significant stake to a private investment firm, sparking immediate and widespread backlash across the sport.
Maxwell confirms unified Uefa stance
Chief executive Ian Maxwell confirmed the move while simultaneously announcing Belgian Sebastian Pocognoli as the new Scotland head coach.
He stated that the national body is strictly aligning itself with Uefa’s broader opposition to the current global leadership.
“The SFA will not be voting for Gianni Infantino come the re-election in early 2027,” Maxwell told BBC Sport.
“Their statement since then has talked about a lack of confidence in the Fifa leadership and the Scottish FA agree completely with that decision,” the chief executive added.
He also forcefully rejected suggestions that previous silence was linked to Scottish FA president Mike Mulraney currently heading the global finance committee.
Deception accusations and breakaway threats
The football associations of England, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland have already publicly withdrawn their backing for the incumbent president.
Last week, an open letter from Uefa, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation heavily criticised the aborted commercial proposals.
The regional governing bodies explicitly accused the sport’s highest office of breaking foundational trust through deliberate deception.
They demanded that any subsequent governance review should be conducted by a fully independent third party rather than an internal council.
Future consequences for world football
The European administrative body has even issued stern legal warnings demanding that all documents related to the abandoned plans are permanently preserved.
Preliminary discussions have reportedly taken place between several confederations regarding potential breakaway competitions if the current administration remains in power.
Despite the fierce and growing opposition, no rival candidate has yet stepped forward to challenge for the presidency ahead of the upcoming electoral deadlines.