Ian Maxwell, chief executive of the Scottish FA, confirmed the decision on Monday. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said his federation would align with UEFA.
“The SFA will not be voting for Gianni Infantino come the re-election in early 2027.”
His 17 August decision added Scotland to a lengthening list of European federations that have publicly withdrawn their previous letters of support for Gianni Infantino’s fourth-term bid. Reuters and Yahoo Sports both put the running total at ten or more member associations, among them Wales, England, Serbia, Sweden and Ireland.
The fortnight that redrew the field
The chain began on 3 August, when the Football Association of Wales became the first to break cover.
Read also: Bezos invested more than $1bn in Liverpool – gets far bigger stake than first reported
“The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr. Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football,” the FAW said in a statement carried by Al Jazeera.
The Swedish and Serbian federations followed the same day. The Swedish FA said its decision rested on “recurring shortcomings in governance, transparency and management” and concluded that “trust in Gianni Infantino’s leadership no longer exists”. Serbia’s federation, which had signed a letter of support as recently as 25 May, reversed course, citing events that had “seriously damaged the image and reputation of both FIFA and its President”.
England’s FA has since written to FIFA to withdraw its own earlier letter of support, calling for “a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long term stewardship of football at its heart”. The Football Association of Ireland followed on 13 August. Media reports have also named Finland, Croatia, Albania, Greece and New Zealand among the associations that have rescinded their backing.
FIFA Forward Enterprise, the trigger
The proximate cause for all of them was the same: FIFA Forward Enterprise, the aborted plan to sell roughly a fifth of a new commercial vehicle covering the World Cup to private investors for as much as $4.2bn. FIFA abandoned the proposal on 1 August after fierce resistance from stakeholders.
Read also: Kylie Jenner's 29th birthday chauffeur was a seven-time F1 world champion
UEFA and CONCACAF have said publicly that they have lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership. But confederations do not decide how their members vote. Each of FIFA’s 211 member associations casts its own ballot at Congress, and any federation is free to break with the confederation line. That is why the individual withdrawals, not the confederation communiques, are the numbers that count against Infantino’s re-election arithmetic.
The clock to 18 November
Presidential candidates have until 23:59 CET on 18 November to submit their nominations, each supported by letters from at least five FIFA members, ahead of the 18 March 2027 election in Rabat. A parallel track opens sooner: an Extraordinary Congress on 23 November could host a no-confidence motion if 43 associations, one-fifth of the FIFA membership, sign the request by 23 September.
No rival candidate had formally declared as of Monday. Names raised publicly include UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Infantino, who has held the FIFA presidency since February 2016, has not publicly addressed the individual federation withdrawals.
Read also: Pressure mounts on Infantino as Premier League joins FIFA revolt
Read also: 'His doubts created doubts for me': Mourinho explains Real Madrid's Rodri retreat
