Mexico Breaks Ranks, Backs Infantino As FIFA Leadership Crisis Deepens

The controversy followed Infantino’s decision to abandon plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, to private investors through the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative. The move prompted Concacaf to call for a comprehensive review of his leadership, describing the development as another example of poor governance.

Despite the criticism, Mexico, one of the co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reaffirmed its confidence in Infantino’s leadership and encouraged football associations to continue operating within FIFA’s constitutional framework.

In a statement, the FMF expressed support for Infantino’s efforts to strengthen football institutions globally while also endorsing the position of South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, which insisted that any attempt to remove the FIFA president must be decided through a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations.

The federation stressed that it would neither recognise nor support any process conducted outside FIFA’s established governance structure, while urging member associations to work collectively toward the continued development of world football.

Although CONMEBOL backed Infantino, it also voiced concern over the manner in which recent events unfolded, criticising what it described as repeated unilateral actions taken without adequate consultation or the use of FIFA’s institutional mechanisms.

Argentina’s Football Association also expressed support for the FIFA president, commending him for acknowledging mistakes made during the process and highlighting what it described as a decade of progress centred on football development, institutional growth and transparent governance.

Infantino continues to enjoy unanimous backing from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), but opposition remains strong across Europe and North America.

UEFA has maintained its stance against the FIFA president despite the withdrawal of the investment proposal, insisting that confidence cannot be restored without stronger assurances that similar initiatives will not be pursued in the future.

The European governing body reiterated that it had already lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership, describing the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal as lacking transparency and proper governance.

The English Football Association has also withdrawn its support, with football associations in Wales, Albania and Croatia joining those distancing themselves from the FIFA chief.

Concacaf accused Infantino of leading FIFA in a manner that no longer places football at the centre of decision-making, citing what it described as a pattern of governance failures. However, unlike UEFA, the regional body stopped short of formally declaring that it had lost confidence in the FIFA president.

Before the proposal was withdrawn, the Asian Football Confederation had also aligned itself with UEFA and Concacaf in opposing the investment plan.

The abandoned proposal would have provided each FIFA member association with approximately $40 million in exchange for supporting private investment in FIFA tournaments through the FIFA Forward Enterprise subsidiary.

Following a FIFA executive meeting in Morocco, the organisation admitted mistakes were made in handling the proposal, acknowledging that the FIFA Council and member associations should have been more involved in the process.

UEFA, however, maintained that the admission was insufficient, reaffirming that its lack of confidence in Infantino’s leadership remains unchanged despite FIFA’s acknowledgement of errors.