Republic of Ireland FA withdraws support for Gianni Infantino as Fifa crisis rages on

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the latest to withdraw its endorsement of Gianni Infantino as the crisis surrounding the Fifa president rages on. The likes of England, Wales and other European nations have already sent a letter to Fifa to officially pull their support for Infantino’s re-election bid in March 2027, following his botched attempt to sell off shares in the World Cup to private investors. European governing body Uefa has reiterated that its member associations will boycott Fifa competitions unless Infantino is ousted, and joined Concacaf - the confederation of North America and the Caribbean - and the Asian Football Confederation in penning an open letter to the “football family” on Monday, accusing Infantino of breaking trust through “deception”. The FAI, having previously expressed its opposition to the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, has now confirmed its withdrawal of support for Infantino. Gianni Infantino has officially lost the support of the Republic of Ireland (PA Wire) "Following an FAI board meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Association supplied earlier this year," it confirmed in a statement. "It has since written to Fifa to explain its reasoning. "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." Across the border, the Northern Ireland association (IFA) is yet to follow suit by withdrawing its own endorsement, but like the FAI has expressed “wider concerns” regarding Infantino and his leadership. "We take our responsibilities as a member association of both Uefa and Fifa seriously," said an IFA spokesperson. "We support the current Uefa position on the matter and will continue to engage constructively on issues relating to football governance. "We are of course aware of the recent developments and wider concerns within the football community. We are considering these matters carefully and will continue to engage through the appropriate governance structures and channels. "At this stage, we have no further comment." However, Infantino is not completely without support, with his allies beginning to surface amid the torrent of backlash that has come his way. Argentina and Mexico are among the highest-profile nations to back the Swiss-Italian, while the African Football Confederation (Caf) has reiterated in their trust in his presidency. Caf chief Patrice Motsepe added that if opponents want to “take out” Infantino they must follow procedure and go through the ballot box. Caf chief Patrice Motsepe (left) has stood in solidarity with Infantino (Getty) Meanwhile, six heads of Arab national football associations, ​including Qatar and 2030 World Cup co-hosts Morocco, put out a statement further backing Infantino on Thursday. "Recognising the important role of Arab football in bringing people together and strengthening cooperation among football associations across the Arab world, we ... express our full support for Mr Gianni Infantino, president of Fifa, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership and continued commitment to the development of football worldwide," the federation heads of Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt and Mauritania said. "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. “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 Arab football’s contribution to ​the global game."