Swiss Football Association withdraws support for Gianni Infantino re-election bid

Reversal of presidential endorsement

The Swiss Football Association (SFV) announced on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, that it has withdrawn its official backing for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA president. The decision was formally taken by the SFV central board during its meeting on 25 September 2026 before being published in a media release. This vote marks a direct reversal of the position adopted by the Swiss association in June 2026, when it originally declared its support for Infantino to serve another term at the head of world football. According to the federation, the reversal follows a comprehensive reassessment of organizational developments that took place over the preceding months. The withdrawal removes home-country federation support from the incumbent FIFA president as his re-election campaign moves forward.

Governance issues and specific controversies

The SFV central board stated that its reassessment examined several events that involved fundamental concerns regarding leadership, governance, transparency, and decision-making processes within FIFA. Swiss federation officials identified specific operational areas where regulatory standards fell short of expectations. In particular, the board cited unresolved issues concerning rule clarity and competition integrity connected to the Balogun case. The Swiss governing body also pointed to serious questions regarding institutional integration and accountability within the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative. The federation concluded that these collective governance matters created unacceptable uncertainty regarding the administration of international football competitions and development programs.

Assessment of FIFA reform proposals

FIFA attempted to address member concerns through formal correspondence delivered on 21 September 2026, outlining a series of planned corrective measures. The SFV reviewed the proposals outlined in the letter to evaluate whether the promised reforms sufficiently addressed the governance shortcomings identified by the central board. While Swiss officials acknowledged that the announced steps provided a constructive gesture and could potentially contribute to administrative improvements, they determined that the response remained incomplete. The federation noted that core questions regarding institutional responsibilities, decision-making processes, and the background behind disputed decisions remained unclarified.

SFV President Peter Knäbel outlined the federation's expectations regarding the administration of global football governance.

The Swiss Football Association expects the highest standards from FIFA leadership regarding transparency, traceability and institutional responsibility.

Formal justification for the decision

The Swiss federation emphasized that without convincing explanations and verifiable processes from FIFA leadership, it could no longer justify endorsing Infantino's candidacy. Peter Knäbel stated that while the federation welcomed the signal sent by FIFA in late September, the persistent lack of transparency on critical matters prevented the central board from maintaining its June commitment.

The steps announced by FIFA in the letter of 21 September are indeed an important signal and can contribute to improvements. At the same time, central questions regarding the background, responsibilities and decision-making processes remain open.

Because these central governance questions were not convincingly clarified by FIFA, the SFV concluded that it could not take responsibility for supporting Infantino for an additional term. The central board's decision, finalized on 25 September 2026 and communicated publicly on 30 September 2026, officially ends Swiss backing for the incumbent president.