French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo said Gianni Infantino had “severely harmed football’s reputation and unity” while confirming that France would no longer support his bid for another term as president of the sport’s global governing body.
On Thursday, the FFF’s executive committee voted unanimously to revoke the endorsement it had formally granted at the end of June. Diallo pointed to incidents at the World Cup that “clearly conflicted with our principles for governing the sport”, as well as Infantino’s proposed commercial sell-off, unveiled in July before being abandoned following widespread opposition.
During the tournament, the suspension imposed on United States forward Folarin Balogun was reversed following intervention from Donald Trump. The US president said he contacted Infantino and urged him to allow Balogun to play. The governing body described its disciplinary committee’s ruling as “a proportionate response” supported by a specific clause in the relevant regulations.
Explaining why confidence had been lost, Diallo said: “From July, the circumstances behind our original endorsement changed. Does cancelling the commercial project settle the matter? I do not believe it does. His actions during and after the World Cup have caused serious damage to football’s standing and unity. We therefore consider the relationship of trust to have been broken.”
Reflecting on the FFF’s previous support, Diallo acknowledged that positive developments had occurred during Infantino’s tenure. However, he added: “Our assessment changes when alterations to the sport are pursued unilaterally and without transparency in an attempt to commercialise an asset that belongs to everyone.”
“France helped establish the international governing organisation and therefore has a historic right to speak when we believe its leadership is moving away from our vision for managing the global game. We also carry sporting credibility, having remained among the world’s three highest-ranked teams during the past decade. We wanted to state clearly that we will not support a path that conflicts with football’s wider interests.”
After details of the proposed sell-off emerged, the FFF voiced “serious reservations and concerns”. Uefa warned that its members could boycott international competitions, while several European associations, including those of Wales and England, withdrew their backing for Infantino. France’s federation, however, did not publicly renounce its support until Thursday.
Diallo said France would participate actively in Uefa’s efforts to identify another presidential candidate before the 18 November deadline. The vote is scheduled for March at the organisation’s next congress.
Before that process concludes, Diallo said the FFF plans to consult individuals with expertise in football transparency and responsible governance, as well as specialists from other fields. The discussions will form part of France’s contribution to the debate and its campaign for extensive institutional reform.
Among those the FFF intends to approach is Kevin Lamour, the organisation’s former chief operating officer, who was removed from his position after speaking out against the proposed sell-off.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
