"Even His Homeland Turned Its Back"... Swiss FA Withdraws Support for Infantino's Re-election

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, 56, is facing fierce backlash over his attempt to "privatize the World Cup," and now even his home country of Switzerland has turned its back on him.

The Swiss Football Association (SFV) announced on October 1 (Korean time) that it has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Infantino's bid for re-election.

The Swiss association stated that during a meeting held on September 25 local time, it decided to revoke the support it had expressed last June for Infantino's candidacy for a new term.

"This decision follows a comprehensive review of developments over the past few months," the association explained, adding, "From our perspective, several issues raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency, and decision-making processes within FIFA."

As examples, the association cited the suspension of the disciplinary ban for U.S. national team player Folarin Balogun at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup and FIFA's attempt to sell stakes in major tournaments like the World Cup.

Balogun received a red card and was sent off in the round of 32 at the North and Central America World Cup, making him ineligible for the round of 16. However, controversy erupted after U.S. President Donald Trump called President Infantino to request a review, leading FIFA to reverse its decision and suspend Balogun's one-year match ban.

Ultimately, Balogun played in the round of 16 match against Belgium, but the U.S. suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat.

Additionally, in July, President Infantino announced a plan to establish a subsidiary called FFE dedicated to the commercial rights of the World Cup and to sell a 20% stake in the company to the U.S. private equity fund Thrive Capital for 4.2 billion dollars. After facing strong opposition, he ultimately scrapped the plan.

Calls for President Infantino's resignation have continued since, deepening confrontation within the global football community.

With withdrawals of support for Infantino, who plans to run in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next March, continuing to mount, Switzerland has now joined the movement.

Prior to Switzerland, football associations in several European countries, including England, Wales, France, and Serbia, had already withdrawn their support for Infantino.

Meanwhile, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) plans to put forward a competing candidate to run against Infantino before the candidate registration deadline in November.
 
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.