France withdraws backing for Infantino after the failed World Cup stake sale

The French Football Federation withdrew its support for Gianni Infantino's bid for another term as FIFA president on 10 September. The executive committee vote was unanimous. FFF president Philippe Diallo said the conditions that justified a June endorsement no longer existed.

France had backed Infantino on 29 June, when he was the only declared candidate. After that date FIFA floated a plan to sell a minority stake in its competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups, to private capital. Reports put the target near $4.2 billion for about 20% of a vehicle that would hold commercial rights. UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA competitions. The Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf joined the revolt. FIFA dropped the plan on 1 August, days after it became public.

The FFF statement said the project had been killed by a concerted response inside UEFA and other confederations, and that governance at FIFA was still unresolved. It accused recent initiatives of damaging the image and unity of the game. Diallo said the way France thinks the sport should be run no longer matches the way it is being run.

Who else has left

England, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales had already withdrawn support. UEFA, the AFC and Concacaf have called for Infantino to step down. Conmebol in South America and CAF in Africa have stayed with him. Those two confederations, plus a large block of smaller associations, are why he can still stand with a path to victory even after Europe peeled off.

FIFA confirmed on Sunday that Infantino will seek a final term through 2031. The election is on 18 March 2027 in Rabat. He is, for now, still the only candidate. France said it will consult French and international figures on a wider reform of FIFA's statutes. It has not named a rival.

The final that is also a vote

The same week, Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, told a party meeting in Bouznika that the 2030 World Cup final would be played in Benslimane province, at the Hassan II stadium rising outside Casablanca. The bowl is designed for 115,000 seats. Spain's Rafael Louzan has said the final should be in Spain, with the Santiago Bernabeu the preferred ground.

FIFA, asked again on 10 September, repeated the line it used on 5 August: reports that Infantino promised the final to Morocco are false and misleading, and a decision will come in due course. The 2030 tournament will open with centenary matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, then run across Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The venue of the final is the prize both federations want and the lever some European officials believe has already been used to lock African votes.

France reached the last two World Cup finals, in 2018 and 2022. Its federation is not a small voice. It is also one vote. Infantino's remaining arithmetic runs through CAF, Conmebol and the associations that have not joined the European walkout. The March ballot in Rabat will show whether a failed equity sale is enough to end a presidency, or only enough to isolate Europe inside a body it no longer controls.