The Croatian Football Federation has joined a growing list of European associations that will not back Gianni Infantino in the FIFA presidential elections in March 2027. Unresolved issues regarding officiating at the World Cup are also cited as a reason.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing the biggest internal crisis since taking the helm of world football's governing body. A growing number of national associations, including the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), are withholding their support ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for March 2027, which, as reported by Channel News Asia, will be hosted by Morocco.
According to 24 sata, the HNS has decided not to back Infantino in the election for a new term, while continuing to support UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. This move comes at a time when FIFA is going through a turbulent period marked by controversial proposals and discontent among its members.
One of the key reasons for the HNS's dissatisfaction lies in the events of the World Cup. In early July 2026, the federation sent an official letter to FIFA requesting a detailed explanation of disputed refereeing decisions in the match against Portugal, after which Croatia's tournament run came to an end.
Two situations were particularly contested: the disallowed goal by Joško Gvardiol in the closing stages of the match and the penalty awarded to Portugal following a VAR intervention. FIFA explained that the ball technology recorded contact with Igor Matanović's hair, which led to the goal being ruled out for offside. However, the HNS believes there are numerous open questions regarding the application of the technology and VAR protocols, and according to Sportklub, no official response has yet arrived from FIFA.
Croatia is not alone in withholding support for Infantino. In recent days, the football associations of Wales, England, Sweden, Serbia, Slovenia, and Finland have made or announced similar decisions, while the German Football Association has never supported the current FIFA president.
Channel News Asia reports that discontent culminated after the failed proposal to sell part of the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors. FIFA subsequently apologized to all 211 member associations, acknowledging in a statement that the proposal "should have been handled differently" and that there was no intention to make the FIFA Council or associations feel excluded from the process.
The organization has announced a review of the processes that led to the controversy, and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom described the situation in an internal memo as a "sad and reprehensible sequence of events." Nevertheless, at a meeting in Rabat on August 5, 2026, public support was given to Infantino, who later posted a photo with Grafstrom giving a thumbs up.
Despite growing resistance in Europe, where criticism has also come from UEFA and the European Leagues organization, which represents more than 1,300 European clubs, Infantino still enjoys strong support among smaller associations, particularly in Africa and Asia. Channel News Asia notes that FIFA's development funds are crucial for national football programs in those regions.
FIFA has further warned critics that, given the project has been abandoned, it will "no longer tolerate attacks on its integrity, good governance, and prescribed procedures." In addition to the commercial rights issue, European Leagues also criticized the unrealistically short four-week deadline for evaluating the proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.
