In response to mounting criticism of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s leadership, the Mexican Football Federation has parted with CONCACAF, the regional football organization, to announce its support for Infantino.
One of the three co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico, supported Infantino after CONCACAF demanded a “comprehensive reckoning” of his leadership in response to his contentious plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors.
In a statement issued by the federation, the FMF expressed trust in Infantino’s leadership and his efforts to fortify football institutions around the world, according to reports.
The statement said, “The FMF supports President Infantino’s leadership in continuing to promote the development of football thru institutional strengthening.”
Additionally, the Mexican federation supported the stance of Conmebol, the South American football governing body, which insisted that any attempt to remove the FIFA president must adhere to the organization’s established electoral procedure involving all 211 member countries.
“The FMF joins President Infantino’s call to collectively continue developing football for the benefit of the 211 member associations, and it will neither recognize nor approve any process convened outside of that institutional framework,” the statement continued.
CONCACAF, which denounced the FIFA president’s leadership style and characterized the shelved investment plan as an indication of bad governance, is at odds with Mexico over the decision.
The suggestion, according to CONCACAF, was “a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first,” and it came after “a pattern of missteps and similar behavior.”
But unlike UEFA, the organization that oversees European football, CONCACAF refrained from saying that it no longer had faith in Infantino.
UEFA has been one of the most vocal opponents of the FIFA president, threatening to boycott the 2026 World Cup unless assurances are given that such suggestions won’t be made in the future.
According to UEFA, “assurances must be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.”
Other national associations, such as Wales, Albania, and Croatia, have also distanced themselves from the FIFA president, and the English Football Association has stopped supporting Infantino.
In the meantime, a number of areas continue to support Infantino, notably the Confederation of African Football, which has unanimously endorsed his leadership.
As FIFA gets ready for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, the widening rift among football’s governing organizations has heightened discussion over Infantino’s future.
