The Mexican Football Federation has backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino, breaking ranks with Concacaf partners the USA and Canada following his failed World Cup plan.
The decision by the Mexican Football Federation, known as the FMF, comes after Concacaf joined a global revolt against Infantino last week. Concacaf, the governing body for football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, issued a damning statement against Infantino after plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup emerged last month and were subsequently dumped amid widespread opposition.
On Thursday night, the FMF released a statement offering its support to Infantino. "The Mexican Football Federation is convinced that football is its fundamental value and that its best defense lies in institutional integrity and respect for the governance and processes that safeguard it," the federation said.
The FMF added: "Therefore, the FMF will not recognize or approve any process convened outside of this institutional framework, and it embraces the call issued by President Infantino on August 5, 2026, to collectively continue developing football for the benefit of its 211 member associations." The statement concluded that the FMF "supports President Infantino's leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening."
Global Support and Regional Division
Not long after Mexico released its statement, the Argentinian federation did the same, saying it wanted to "express our support for the management carried out during the last 10 years." The Confederation of African Football has also reaffirmed its support for Infantino in recent days.
Mexico's position comes in direct contrast to Concacaf's statement published on social media on July 30. Concacaf stated: "Concacaf was only made aware of this matter through media reports and, subsequently, via a media release. We are deeply concerned by the lack of due process."
Concacaf added: "We share the disappointment of many within our region and the game that this level of detail has been designed and shared publicly before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place. As leaders within football, we are the custodians of the game. Collectively, FIFA, the Confederations and every Member Association have a responsibility to always act in the best interests of the sport."
The regional governing body insisted: "Every decision we make must be guided by good governance, robust processes and long-term stewardship. This is the framework within which Concacaf operates. We trust that all within the FIFA family will act in the same manner."
UEFA Boycott and Pressure on Infantino
While Concacaf is fractured, Daily Mail Sport understands UEFA is set to continue its boycott of the World Cup until Infantino is removed from his position. European football's governing body issued a statement on Thursday reiterating that it had lost confidence in the FIFA president in the wake of the aborted World Cup sell-off.
UEFA previously said Infantino's proposal would have to be withdrawn and that it would need assurances that "attempts to disfigure the game this way will never be made again" before lifting its self-imposed ban. Anything less than Infantino's removal is not expected to be enough to ensure champions Spain, England, France, and Germany participate in four years' time.
An international football insider told Daily Mail Sport: "This had to be done. He has to go and this is the only way to force him out."
On Wednesday night, FIFA announced Infantino had the backing of members of the body's council after crisis talks in Morocco. Infantino summoned officials to his hotel, leading to a FIFA statement saying executives had given "full support" to Infantino while acknowledging "mistakes" in the dropped plan. FIFA said they have apologized in a letter to member associations and that a "review" will be carried out.
Separately, Donald Trump has denied any knowledge of Infantino's plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
FIFPRO Demands Governance Reforms
Along with UEFA's continued anger, a statement from global players' union FIFPRO criticized Infantino and the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. FIFPRO stated: "FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) is gone. The abuse of power that produced it is not. Governance reforms, not a cover-up, are urgently needed."
FIFPRO added: "The withdrawal of FFE was inevitable. But withdrawing the proposal does not erase what it revealed. A plan capable of permanently altering the ownership and governance of the FIFA World Cup, and commercialising the competitions built by generations of players, was conceived in secrecy, negotiated behind closed doors and brought to the brink of agreement before the FIFA Council, the Member Associations, players and football’s recognised stakeholders even knew it existed. That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power."
FIFPRO also criticized FIFA's update from the Morocco meeting and called for "structural safeguards to ensure these events can never be repeated," including legally binding engagement "with professional football's stakeholders on decisions of major consequence" and voting rights on the FIFA council.
The union concluded: "The withdrawal of FFE prevented an irreversible decision. It did not restore the confidence that made such a proposal possible in the first place. That confidence has now been fundamentally broken. It cannot be rebuilt through carefully drafted statements, internal reviews or promises to improve processes. Nor can it be restored simply by announcing governance and structural reforms that should always have existed. These reforms are now indispensable. But they are the responsibility of the future, not an absolution of the past. The players did not create this crisis. They will insist that football emerges from it with stronger institutions, stronger safeguards and leadership worthy of the trust the game demands."
