Northern Ireland's FA withdraws support for Infantino
The Irish Football Association says it will not vote for Gianni Infantino's re-election as Fifa president, calling for change at the organisation. It joins several other British and Irish football associations that have already withdrawn their backing.
The Irish Football Association (IFA), which governs football in Northern Ireland, has announced it will not support Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election as Fifa president next year, stating that "the time has come for change" at the organisation.
Infantino has faced growing scrutiny following the collapse of his plan to sell a 21% stake in Fifa's commercial operations to a private investment firm. The proposal drew widespread criticism, with Uefa threatening to boycott all Fifa competitions before the plan was abandoned.
The IFA had previously aligned itself informally with Uefa's position but had not formally withdrawn its support for Infantino until now. In a statement, the association said the proposal to sell part of Fifa's assets to a private equity firm without consultation raised fundamental questions about the organisation's strategy, governance and stewardship of its assets.
Other associations already opposed
The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland had already publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino before the IFA's announcement.
Infantino, 56, is scheduled to stand for a fourth term as Fifa president in March. Should he win re-election, his time in charge would extend to 15 years by the end of the term in 2031.
