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The Scottish FA says it will not vote for Gianni Infantino in the 2027 FIFA presidential election.
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Scotland has joined England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland in withdrawing support for the FIFA president.
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Infantino is facing growing opposition over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
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The FIFA chief still retains support from several countries and confederations, making the 2027 election increasingly difficult to predict.
August 17, (THEWILL) — The Scottish Football Association has withdrawn its support for FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, and confirmed that it will not vote for him when he seeks re-election in 2027, adding another significant voice to the growing opposition against the FIFA chief.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell told BBC Sport that Scotland had aligned itself with UEFA and the majority of its European associations following the controversy surrounding FIFA’s abandoned plans to establish a new commercial company. The proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise was intended to manage commercial and ticketing rights across FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, but faced strong criticism from several football authorities before the plan was eventually dropped.
“The position of the SFA has been clear since the 55 UEFA associations met. We have aligned ourselves with the UEFA position and 55 nations are stronger than one voice”, Maxwell said, adding that the Scottish FA agreed with UEFA’s position that there was now a “lack of confidence in the FIFA leadership”, confirming that Scotland would not support Infantino at the next election.
The announcement adds to a growing split within European football. England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have already declared that they have withdrawn their backing for Infantino, meaning several of the British and Irish associations are now firmly opposed to his bid for another term.
The dispute intensified after FIFA proposed creating the Forward Enterprise, with plans reportedly involving the sale of a 21% stake to a private investment company. The proposal sparked concerns among several confederations over FIFA’s governance, control of its commercial operations and the future handling of major competitions.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation subsequently accused FIFA of damaging trust through the way the proposal was handled. In an open letter, the three confederations described the controversy as an issue involving the integrity of both the game and those elected to lead it. Although Infantino was not directly named, the statement increased pressure on the FIFA president.
The confederations have also questioned FIFA’s decision to conduct an internal review of the abandoned plans. They have argued that an independent investigation would be more appropriate and have called for documents relating to the proposal to be preserved.
The disagreement has now developed into a wider political struggle over the future direction of world football. BBC Sport reports that preliminary discussions have taken place between the three confederations about the possibility of creating breakaway competitions if Infantino remains in power, although no substantive negotiations have yet taken place.
Despite the growing opposition, Infantino still has considerable support across other parts of the football world. The African, South American and Oceania confederations have backed him, while a number of individual national associations have also declared their support. However, the divisions are becoming increasingly complicated because some countries are refusing to follow the positions of their respective confederations.
New Zealand, for instance, has said it will not support Infantino despite the position of the Oceania Football Confederation. In Concacaf, Mexico, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis have also broken away from the majority of the region’s associations.
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There are divisions in Asia as well, with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kuwait, Mongolia, the Philippines and Bhutan among the countries that have backed Infantino. The competing positions have made it increasingly difficult to determine which side holds the advantage ahead of the election.
The political divisions could also raise questions about Infantino’s ability to govern FIFA effectively even if he secures another term. While the election will ultimately be decided by FIFA’s 211 member associations, the growing disagreements between confederations and individual countries could make his next term considerably more challenging.
Infantino remains the only declared candidate ahead of the 18 November nomination deadline and is scheduled to seek a fourth term in March 2027. But with several European associations now withdrawing their support and tensions growing across world football, his re-election campaign is already shaping up to be one of the most politically contested periods of his FIFA presidency.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
