The French Football Federation has unanimously voted to pull its backing for Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president, marking one of the most significant defections yet in what’s becoming a full-blown European revolt against the governing body’s leadership.
The FFF announced its decision on September 10, 2026, citing concerns over FIFA’s governance that it says emerged after the federation initially endorsed Infantino back in June. In the span of three months, France went from ally to adversary.
The $4.2 billion deal that broke the dam
At the center of the fallout is Infantino’s “FIFA Forward Enterprise” proposal, an ambitious plan to sell a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial rights to private equity investors for a potential $4.2 billion. The plan drew fierce opposition from UEFA and several other confederations who viewed it as a fundamental compromise of FIFA’s independence and governance principles. On August 1, 2026, the FFE proposal was abandoned entirely.
The FFF pointed to the FFE debacle as evidence that FIFA’s decision-making processes and governance structures need deep reform. The federation alleged that core principles had been compromised in the pursuit of the deal.
