Scottish FA Withdraws Support for Gianni Infantino Ahead of 2027 Election
The Scottish FA has broken ranks with Gianni Infantino – and this time, there is no room for ambiguity.
Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell has confirmed the governing body has lost confidence in the Fifa president and will not back him in the next election, scheduled for early 2027.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Maxwell was unequivocal as he linked Scotland’s stance directly to the growing revolt inside European football.
“We have aligned ourselves with the Uefa position and 55 nations are stronger than one voice,” he said, as he unveiled Belgian coach Sebastian Pocognoli as the new Scotland head coach. “Their statement since then has talked about a lack of confidence in the Fifa leadership and the Scottish FA agree completely with that decision. The SFA will not be voting for Gianni Infantino come the re-election in early 2027.”
Infantino under fire over FFE plan
Infantino is facing mounting pressure over his aborted plan to create a new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have controlled the commercial and ticketing rights for all Fifa competitions, including the World Cups. Under the proposal, 21% of FFE would have been sold to a private investment firm.
The idea detonated a backlash.
Uefa led the opposition, with several confederations condemning the move. The European body has even threatened a boycott of all Fifa competitions, a threat that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Under that weight, FFE was scrapped.
The fallout has not gone away. It has deepened.
Last week, Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issued an open letter accusing Fifa and Infantino of breaking trust “through deception”. The letter, signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three confederations, framed the FFE saga as a question not just of money, but of “the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it”.
Infantino was not named. He did not need to be. Sources have told BBC Sport the statement should be read as an invitation for the Fifa president to step aside and leave with what dignity he can still salvage.
Scotland joins the growing opposition
Maxwell made clear Scotland is now firmly in that camp.
He also pushed back at any suggestion that the SFA had been slow to distance itself from Infantino because its president, Mike Mulraney, chairs the powerful Fifa finance committee.
“The position of the SFA has been clear since the 55 Uefa associations met,” Maxwell said, stressing that Scotland had been aligned with Europe’s collective stance from that point.
England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have already publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino, who intends to stand for a fourth term in March. Scotland’s declaration adds another established football nation to the list of dissenters.
Governance battle far from over
Fifa has promised to present a report on the FFE episode to the next Fifa council meeting, expected in October. That has not calmed the storm.
In their letter, Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC criticised Fifa’s plan to handle the review internally, arguing that “proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgement would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party”.
They also reinforced a legal warning already issued by Uefa: Fifa must not delete or destroy any documents related to the abandoned FFE plans.
Behind the scenes, the stakes are climbing. BBC Sport understands that preliminary conversations have taken place between the three confederations over potential breakaway competitions if Infantino remains in office. Those talks have not yet moved into a detailed phase, according to other sources, but the mere fact they are happening underlines the depth of the rift.
For now, Infantino remains unopposed. No rival candidate has formally stepped forward ahead of the 18 November deadline.
The numbers, though, are shifting. When Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC talk about “deception” and when the Scottish FA openly declares it has no confidence in Fifa’s leadership, the question is no longer whether Infantino can win another term.
It is how long the world game can function with its president governing under open threat of boycott and breakaway.
