Swiss FA ‘cannot justify’ its support for Infantino’s re-election as Fifa president

The Swiss Football Association (SFV) has withdrawn its support for Gianni ⁠Infantino’s bid for another term as Fifa president, the organisation confirmed on Wednesday.

The executive committee ⁠reversed its support ⁠for Infantino, who was born in Brig, an Alpine town in Valais canton in southern Switzerland, in a meeting this week after endorsing his candidacy in June.

“The ⁠decision follows a comprehensive reassessment of developments over the past few months,” the SFV said in ⁠a statement. “From the SFV’s perspective, various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding ​leadership, governance, transparency and ‌decision-making processes within Fifa.”

Infantino, who is seeking re-election in March, has faced ‌growing opposition since his plans to sell a stake in Fifa tournaments, including the World Cup, were revealed in July. The subsequent outcry led to them swiftly being abandoned.

The withdrawal is the latest blow to Infantino, with football associations in England, Wales, France, Serbia ‌and other European countries having already pulled their endorsements ahead of the election. Uefa has pledged to ​present a rival candidate before the November deadline.

Infantino, who has been Fifa president since 2016, has faced calls for his resignation amid widespread pleas for reform in global world football’s governing ⁠body. The 56-year-old wrote this month in a letter to member ​associations that ​he was open to talks ​over reform, but the SFV said key questions ​regarding Fifa’s ‌responsibilities and decision-making ​process had ​been left unanswered.

“As these have not been convincingly clarified, we cannot justify continuing to support Gianni Infantino’s candidacy,” the SFV said.