Belgium Withdraws Infantino Backing

Belgium’s football association has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president, citing concerns over transparency and governance at football’s global governing body.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has become the latest national body to distance itself from Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027. England and Italy are among other major football associations that have also chosen not to back the Swiss-Italian administrator’s bid for another term.

FIFA confirmed on Sunday that Infantino would seek re-election, with the current president remaining the only declared candidate so far. A fourth term would extend his leadership of the organisation beyond a decade after he first took office in 2016.

The RBFA said it was seeking answers over key decisions made under Infantino’s leadership, including a proposed plan to introduce private investment into the FIFA World Cup.

The association said it was “seeking clear answers regarding the decision-making process and the next steps” after the proposal was abandoned following opposition from several football stakeholders.

Belgium has also questioned FIFA’s handling of the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun during the recent World Cup. Balogun received an automatic suspension after being sent off in the last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which meant he was expected to miss the next game against Belgium.

However, FIFA later overturned the suspension, a decision that attracted criticism after reports emerged that US President Donald Trump had contacted Infantino over the matter.

RBFA president Pascale Van Damme said the association was still waiting for explanations.

“Two months after the events, we note that our questions remain unanswered to date,” Van Damme said.

The Belgian FA has formally requested that the Balogun case be discussed at the next FIFA Council meeting on October 15.

The criticism adds to growing divisions within international football over FIFA’s leadership style. Opponents have accused Infantino of pushing major commercial decisions without enough consultation with member associations.

Although the private investment proposal was quickly withdrawn following resistance, concerns over FIFA’s governance and decision-making process continue to shape the debate around Infantino’s bid for another term.