FAI withdraws support for re-election of FIFA President Gianni Infantino

The Football Association of Ireland has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA President.

Following an FAI board meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Irish governing body supplied earlier this year.

An FAI statement read: "The Association is grateful for the support that FIFA provides to Irish football, but recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.

"Considering the governance challenges that the FAI has had to overcome in recent years, the Association feels a particular obligation to advocate for and uphold best practice."

Infantino has apologised for his proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA's tournaments, with an idea to sell off around 20 per cent to private investors. He remains under considerable pressure to retain his role.

UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF have made calls for him to quit over his scrapped bid to bring in private investment.

UEFA has previously threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions, and its decision to hold preliminary discussions with AFC and CONCACAF about co-ordinating their own tournaments is to "make sure the players under their jurisdictions have meaningful opportunities to compete."

Today, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt and Mauritania have backed Infantino.

"We deeply appreciate Mr Infantino's sustained efforts to advance football globally, expand opportunities across all regions and strengthen the game's role in bringing people and communities together," they said.

"We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with him towards a stronger and more prosperous future for world football, expanding opportunities and further enhancing Arad football's contribution to the global game."