Wales becomes first nation to withdraw support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has officially withdrawn its backing for Fifa president Gianni Infantino's re-election, citing his controversial attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

This move comes despite Infantino shelving the widely criticised plan last Friday, after the proposal was rejected by three confederations, leaving his decade-long tenure at the head of world football under intense scrutiny.

Andy Burnham stated on Friday that Infantino is the "wrong man" to lead Fifa, while the Football Association (FA) called for a "full and robust review" into his leadership.

The FAW had initially indicated support for Infantino's re-election next year, prior to the emergence of his plan to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). However, a statement released on Monday confirmed Wales has become the first nation to officially withdraw its support for Infantino.

The FAW's statement declared: "The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football. Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept."

The English FA is also understood to have communicated to Fifa its withdrawal of support for Infantino. On Saturday, the governing body issued a statement affirming its "full support" for Uefa's position that confidence in Infantino had been lost over the FFE proposal.

Uefa's statement on Saturday suggested that "no option should be off the table," hinting at the possibility of national associations triggering a vote of no confidence, which could lead to an Extraordinary Fifa Congress. Such a move would require just 43 associations, though it is considered unlikely unless there is strong belief in securing a majority among Fifa's 211 members to unseat Infantino.

Concacaf, representing North American, Central American, and Caribbean associations, also demanded a "full review" of Infantino's leadership over the weekend. Sources have indicated to the Press Association that Concacaf's president, Victor Montagliani, a current Fifa vice-president, would be prepared to contend for football's top position.

Conversely, several African and Asian associations, including those from Morocco, Egypt, and Qatar, issued statements over the weekend expressing their support for Infantino.

Meanwhile, Uefa has formally written to Infantino, confirming it is "actively considering" legal action regarding the FFE plan.

The letter, seen by the Press Association, instructs Infantino and Fifa to "take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or Fifa's possession, custody, or control."