Croatian Football Federation Withdraws Support for Infantino
Following the Welsh, English, Swedes, Serbs, Slovenes, and Finns, the Croatian Football Federation has also turned its back on the FIFA president ahead of the March elections.
Following the Welsh, English, Swedes, Serbs, Slovenes, and Finns, the Croatian Football Federation has also turned its back on the FIFA president ahead of the March elections.
The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has decided to withdraw its support for the current FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, in the upcoming presidential elections. This decision, made on Thursday, August 6, 2026, comes as a culmination of dissatisfaction with the way the 56-year-old leader runs world football, particularly due to the controversial officiating that cost Croatia elimination from the World Cup.
Infantino, who has been at the helm of FIFA since 2016 when he replaced Sepp Blatter, is increasingly isolated on the international stage. His plan to sell part of the World Cup to private investors has failed, and support for him has begun to wane across Europe. Just three days ago, the Football Association of Wales was the first to publicly step forward and withdraw its support for his candidacy for the 2027-2031 term.
A chain reaction followed very quickly. In addition to the Welsh, within just a few days, the federations of England, Sweden, Serbia, Slovenia, and Finland also withdrew their support for Infantino. The German Football Association never gave him its support in the first place. From the HNS, they say that in the coming days, many other European federations will do the same.
Unlike its stance on Infantino, the Croatian Football Federation remains firmly behind UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin. In the FIFA presidential elections, scheduled for March 2026, they will give their support to another candidate.
The straw that broke the camel's back for the HNS was the officiating in the match against Portugal at the World Cup. Croatia was eliminated after a goal by Joško Gvardiol was disallowed in the final minutes. FIFA then stated that the sensor inside the ball recorded contact with Igor Matanović's hair, which led to the offside call.
The VAR intervention was also controversial, after which the referee awarded a penalty to Portugal for a pull on Vlašić. The HNS reacted on July 6, 2026, exactly one month ago, with an official letter to FIFA in which they complained about the "abuse of technology and requested a detailed explanation of all refereeing decisions". However, a response from FIFA has still not arrived.
The leaders of the HNS are far from satisfied with Infantino's work and the direction in which he is leading the football world. The situation increasingly resembles the end of Sepp Blatter's era, and given the shrinking base of support, it is hard to believe that Infantino will manage to win a fourth presidential term.
