On August 17, Beijing Time (CEST), Scottish Football Association CEO Ian Maxwell announced that the Scottish FA had lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino and would not vote for his re-election.

Previously, Infantino had attempted to establish a new company to take over the commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and planned to sell a 21% stake to a private investment firm. The plan was subsequently put on hold, and he has since faced increasing pressure.

Under widespread criticism led by UEFA and multiple continental football federations, the "FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE)" plan fell through, with UEFA even threatening to boycott all FIFA events.

While announcing Pocognoli as the new head coach of the Scotland team, Maxwell told the BBC: "Since the meeting of the 55 UEFA member associations, the Scottish FA's position has been very clear."

"We are aligned with UEFA, and the united voice of 55 countries carries far more weight than a single nation. UEFA subsequently issued a statement clearly expressing a lack of confidence in FIFA's leadership, a stance the Scottish FA fully endorses. The Scottish FA will not vote for Gianni Infantino in the presidential election in early 2027."

It was previously thought that the Scottish FA had not publicly withdrawn support for Infantino because the FA's president, Mike Mulraney, also served as chairman of the FIFA Finance Committee, but Maxwell refuted this.

To date, the English, Welsh, and Irish FAs have all announced the withdrawal of their support for Infantino, who still plans to run for a fourth presidential term next March.

"Serious lack of judgment"

Last week, UEFA, Concacaf, and the AFC issued a joint open letter, accusing FIFA and Infantino of undermining trust "through deception."

The open letter, co-signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three continental federations, stated that the controversy surrounding the FFE plan was essentially about "the integrity of the game of football, and the integrity of elected leaders."

Although the statement did not directly name Infantino, sources indicate that it should be seen as an opportunity for him to resign gracefully and step down voluntarily.

FIFA has pledged that a report on the FFE will be presented at the next Council meeting, expected in October.

However, the three federations stated that this arrangement "fails to recognize that, in the face of such a serious lack of judgment, only a review by a fully independent third party body would meet the requirements of proper governance."

The letter also reiterated UEFA's previous legal warning: FIFA must not delete or destroy any documents related to the shelved plan.

It is understood that the three continental federations have held preliminary discussions on the possibility of "organizing alternative competitions if Infantino remains in office," although sources say substantive negotiations have not yet begun.

Currently, no one has announced their candidacy to challenge Infantino before the registration deadline on November 18.

Uncertain Outcome

This incident has led to a split in international football into two major camps, with CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC all expressing support for Infantino.

However, even within the same continental federation, there are divisions, making it difficult to predict who, Infantino or his opponents, will gain the upper hand in this contest.

Among the 11 member associations of the OFC, New Zealand has explicitly stated that it will not follow the federation's stance to vote for Infantino.

Among Concacaf's 33 member associations, Mexico, Grenada, and Saint Kitts and Nevis have broken away from the main group, choosing to support Infantino.

Among the AFC's 46 member associations, eight countries have sided with Infantino: UAE, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kuwait, Mongolia, Philippines, and Bhutan.

The FIFA Council, composed of 36 continental and national association leaders, plus Infantino, also appears to be similarly divided.

This raises the question of whether Infantino will still have the political influence needed to govern FIFA, even if he ultimately wins the election involving 211 member associations.

UEFA's boycott threat is about to face its first test, with the U20 Women's World Cup kicking off in just over three weeks. The tournament will be hosted by Poland, and five European teams, including England, will participate.

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