The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has publicly reaffirmed its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, distancing itself from Concacaf’s criticism as the football chief faces growing pressure following the collapse of his controversial private investment proposal.
Concacaf, which oversees football across North America, Central America and the Caribbean, recently demanded a “comprehensive reckoning” of Infantino’s leadership after FIFA shelved plans to sell stakes in major competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, to private investors.
Despite the regional body’s position, Mexico—one of the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—backed Infantino, calling on FIFA’s member associations to continue operating within the organization’s established governance framework.
In a statement, the FMF said it supports Infantino’s leadership, describing his administration as one focused on strengthening football institutions and promoting the sport’s development globally.
The federation also endorsed the position of South America’s governing body, Conmebol, insisting that any attempt to remove the FIFA president must be decided through a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations.
According to the FMF, it will neither recognize nor support any process conducted outside FIFA’s official institutional framework and encouraged member associations to continue working together to advance world football.
Although Conmebol expressed confidence in Infantino, it criticised the handling of the investment proposal, raising concerns over what it described as repeated unilateral decisions taken without adequate dialogue or the use of FIFA’s established governance procedures.
Argentina’s Football Association also declared its support for the FIFA president, commending him for acknowledging mistakes and apologising. The federation praised Infantino’s decade-long tenure, saying it has been characterised by global football development and efforts to strengthen FIFA’s institutional governance.
Infantino continues to enjoy unanimous backing from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), but opposition remains significant in Europe and parts of North America.
UEFA has maintained its criticism despite FIFA abandoning the investment plan, insisting that confidence in the organisation’s leadership cannot be restored without assurances that similar proposals will not be pursued again.
European football’s governing body said those conditions have not been met, reiterating its previous description of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project as an opaque arrangement that undermined trust in FIFA’s leadership.
The English Football Association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino, while the football associations of Wales, Albania and Croatia have similarly distanced themselves from the Swiss official.
Concacaf accused Infantino of overseeing a leadership approach that has failed to prioritise football, arguing that the abandoned investment proposal reflected a broader pattern of poor governance and unilateral decision-making. However, unlike UEFA, the regional body stopped short of declaring it had lost confidence in the FIFA president.
Before FIFA withdrew the proposal, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had also joined UEFA and Concacaf in opposing the plan.
The now-abandoned proposal would have provided each FIFA member association with $40 million (£30 million) in exchange for approving private investment in FIFA competitions through the FIFA Forward Enterprise subsidiary.
Following a FIFA executive meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, the governing body acknowledged that mistakes had been made during the process, admitting that member associations and the FIFA Council should not have felt excluded and that the initiative should have been handled differently.
UEFA, however, dismissed FIFA’s explanation, maintaining that its lack of confidence in Infantino’s presidency remains unchanged despite the governing body’s admission of errors.