Romanian Football Federation withdraws support for FIFA head Gianni Infantino
The Romanian Football Federation announced on Wednesday, August 26, that it will not support Gianni Infantino for a new term as FIFA president.
The decision comes amid major discontent generated by Infantino's plan to sell shares in the World Cup. He was also criticized for other decisions immediately after the conclusion of the World Cup, especially for heeding indications made by Donald Trump about players.
In its press release, the Romanian federation said that Infantino “has lost the trust of affiliated members” and that international football needs leadership capable of generating consensus and unity.
“At the moment, I, along with my colleagues on the Executive Committee, can categorically say that we have lost confidence in Gianni Infantino. This simply means that we will not vote for him if he does not withdraw and run in March 2027,” said FRF president Răzvan Burleanu.
The FRF also pointed out that FIFA has a solid financial position and significant reserves, which is why it does not believe that a change in the governance model in favor of an investment fund is justified.
“Gianni Infantino has lost not only the legitimacy of the first confederation that supported him politically and financially in the 2016 election campaign, but also the support of FIFA delegates from other confederations, as well as the support of the football community represented by fans, players, leagues or clubs,” he added.
The issue of supporting Gianni Infantino for a new term had also been discussed at the FRF Executive Committee meeting on July 29, but a decision was postponed at the time until additional clarifications and guarantees were obtained.
Earlier this month, US president Donald Trump said FIFA would make a “terrible mistake” if it replaced Infantino, whom several continental confederations are asking to resign.
On the other hand, the European football federation, UEFA, strongly opposed Infantino's project to sell shares in the World Cup event, an opposition which the Romanian Football Federation has now joined. In a press release, UEFA said that FIFA cannot use football to enrich itself and its friends. The federations of France, England and Germany have also expressed concern about this plan.
In this context, Burleanu said that Romania is among the few countries that have not given Infantino a letter of support for the 2027 election, while, according to him, more than 200 of the 211 national associations had done so about a month ago. National federations have until September 19 to announce whether they support the project.
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