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The Royal Belgian Football Association has announced it will not back Gianni Infantino's bid for another term as Fifa president, citing transparency and governance concerns. Belgium joins England and Italy among national associations withdrawing support ahead of the March 2027 election.
The Royal Belgian Football Association has announced it will not support Gianni Infantino in his bid to secure another term as president of Fifa, the global governing body of football.
In a statement released on Monday, the Belgian federation outlined its decision to withdraw its backing for Infantino, citing serious concerns about transparency and governance within Fifa. Belgium now joins a growing number of national associations that have publicly distanced themselves from the current Fifa president ahead of the presidential election scheduled for March 2027. Among the associations that have already withdrawn their support are the Football Association of England and the Italian Football Federation.
Both organisations have expressed similar reservations about the direction of the organisation under Infantino's leadership. Fifa officially confirmed on Sunday that Infantino intends to seek another term as president of the organisation. At present, Infantino remains the only declared candidate for the upcoming election. The Royal Belgian FA indicated that it is actively seeking clear answers regarding the decision-making process and the next steps surrounding Infantino's recently aborted plan to bring private investment into the World Cup.
The federation also demanded complete transparency and clear explanations regarding the controversial decision to lift the automatic suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun during the recent World Cup tournament. Balogun had received a red card during the United States' last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which triggered an automatic one-match suspension for the subsequent fixture against Belgium in the next round of the competition.
However, Fifa intervened directly and lifted the suspension, a decision that drew widespread condemnation from across the football community, particularly after it emerged that United States President Donald Trump had personally contacted Infantino by telephone to discuss the matter. Pascale Van Damme, the president of the Royal Belgian FA, stated that two months after the events in question, the questions raised by the Belgian federation remain entirely unanswered.
The Belgian FA has now formally requested that Fifa place the Balogun case on the official agenda of the next Fifa Council meeting, which is scheduled to take place on 15 October. In recent weeks, football's governing bodies around the world have become increasingly divided over the question of Fifa's leadership under Infantino. Critics have accused the president of developing plans for a new commercial structure involving private investors without carrying out sufficient consultation with member associations and other stakeholders.
Facing mounting opposition from numerous federations, Infantino moved quickly to shelve the controversial proposal. Nevertheless, the decision to withdraw the plan has failed to quell the underlying concerns held by several member associations, who continue to question the broader governance approach of the current administration. The Royal Belgian FA's decision represents yet another significant blow to Infantino's authority as he prepares to campaign for an additional term at the helm of world football's governing body
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