FIFA: Has Nigeria announced its support for Infantino?

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has continued to face backlash over his proposed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Swiss administrator has been president since 2016 and has been at the helm of world football since then, overseeing several major tournaments during his time in office.

However, Infantino has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, particularly following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he faced backlash over a major decision involving the rescinding of a red card shown to USMNT star Folarin Balogun.

US President Donald Trump was also heavily involved in the situation, adding to the criticism surrounding Infantino and the world football governing body.

The FIFA president faced further scrutiny after the tournament following his attempt to push forward plans to create a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would allow private investors to buy stakes in the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA sporting events.

The controversial plan has since been scrapped, but Infantino has continued to face widespread criticism, with calls for him to resign or be removed from office.

Infantino: Where does Nigeria stand on FIFA president’s future?

Several countries and football associations have started taking a position on the growing controversy surrounding Infantino, with some publicly supporting the FIFA president while others have called for changes at the top of the organisation.

While UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF have taken a position against Infantino, with UEFA even threatening to boycott FIFA events, CAF and CONMEBOL have shown stronger support for the Swiss administrator.

Soccernet.ng previously reported that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) debunked claims that it had publicly called for Infantino to step down as FIFA president. They made it clear that it had never asked Infantino to resign, describing such reports as false.

However, the federation has also not publicly announced its support for Infantino and has so far maintained a neutral position on the issue.

That stance appears to have been reinforced by a recent report from Football Tweet, which listed football associations that have publicly announced their support for Infantino.

Argentina, Morocco, Qatar, DR Congo, Mexico, Djibouti, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Kuwait, Niger, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Lebanon, Bhutan, Mongolia and the Philippines were among the countries listed as having publicly backed the FIFA president.

Nigeria, however, was not included on the list, revealing that the NFF has yet to officially announce a decision on whether it supports Infantino as he faces increasing pressure ahead of the next FIFA presidential election.

However, there are indications that Nigeria could eventually lean towards supporting the Swiss administrator. The NFF's decision to distance itself from reports that it wants Infantino to resign could be seen as a sign that the federation is not against him.

There is also the position of CAF to consider, with the African football governing body expected to remain supportive of Infantino and Nigeria's relationship with CAF could therefore have an influence on how the country eventually approaches the situation.

Former NFF president Amaju Pinnick, who remains an influential figure within African and global football, is also closely involved in FIFA matters and could potentially play a role as the situation develops.

For now, however, there is no official confirmation that Nigeria has declared its support for Infantino. 

The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place in March 2027, with Infantino already indicating that he intends to run for another term.