Israel joins growing revolt against Infantino after Fifa sackings and World Cup row

Israel becomes the latest federation to pull support

Gianni Infantino’s position has come under further strain after Israel formally withdrew its backing for the Fifa president’s re-election, adding another public sign that opposition to him is widening beyond the row over his handling of football’s finances.

The latest move came on Tuesday in a letter from Moshe Zuares, head of the Israel Football Association, and follows a turbulent period in which Infantino dismissed his chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, after criticism of the World Cup sell-off plan. The Guardian’s reporting on the unfolding dispute can be found in this Guardian Football report on Israel’s withdrawal of support.

The change of position is notable even if it was not entirely unexpected. The Israel Football Association has been a member of Uefa since 1994, and Zuares also sits on the European body’s executive committee. Even so, the letter marks another setback for Infantino, who has spent considerable political capital trying to improve sporting relations between Israel and Palestine.

A letter that talks of crisis and rupture

In the letter seen by the Guardian, Zuares said recent developments had created an unprecedented crisis of confidence between the approaches of Uefa and Fifa to global governance. He said the disagreement was not superficial but “profound, substantive, and principled”, and argued that it was forcing stakeholders to rethink the direction of world football.

The Israel Football Association board, Zuares wrote, had reached its decision unanimously. The federation was withdrawing a previous letter of support, he added, in the hope that dialogue could eventually restore what he called a shared, proper vision and direction for the game.

That language mirrors the depth of concern now surrounding Infantino’s leadership. Israel’s withdrawal joins earlier public reversals from other Uefa members, including England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, which have already reduced the president’s room for manoeuvre.

Lamour exit adds fuel to the backlash

The latest political damage was sharpened by confirmation on Monday night that Lamour had left Fifa after becoming deeply critical of Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal. His departure has become a central symbol of the internal fallout from the World Cup financing plan.

Lamour had already signalled he was prepared for the possibility that his comments would cost him his job. In a statement on 31 July, he said that if losing his position was the consequence, he would accept it and move on, adding that he would at least be able to sleep well that night.

Laura McAllister, a Uefa executive committee member and former Wales Women international who worked with Lamour before his move to Fifa in 2024, said the dismissal sent a deeply troubling message. In her view, it undermines any attempt by Fifa to recover credibility after the FFE scandal.

McAllister described Lamour as a courageous advocate for the people who matter most in football. She argued that removing someone of his stature weakens Fifa’s administration and damages what she sees as a rare chance to shift the organisation away from a culture dominated by commercial and financial priorities.

Her comments went further, insisting that Fifa is not simply its president but the whole football family. In her assessment, world football requires independent leaders who are willing to speak up, challenge authority where necessary and stand by their principles.

Concerns over World Cup ownership and governance

The criticism of Infantino’s approach has also extended beyond Europe’s governing bodies. Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, told the BBC that the Fifa president had pressed the “self-destruct button” over the botched attempt to bring private investment into the World Cup.

Masters said the issue was entirely of Fifa’s own making and described the episode as a self-inflicted wound. In his view, the consequences now reach into the broader effort to find a way forward for the tournament and for the organisation itself.

He was equally blunt about the principle at stake. Masters said Fifa should not even be contemplating the sale of a stake in the World Cup, arguing that it is a not-for-profit body and should hold the competition in trust for the future of football.

That argument now sits at the heart of the wider backlash. What began as criticism of a financing proposal has grown into a broader challenge to Infantino’s authority, his governance style and the direction he has taken Fifa.

What comes next for Infantino

With more federations turning away and senior football figures openly attacking the World Cup plan, the pressure on Infantino is expected to intensify over the next few days. The sequence of events has left him with a shrinking base of support at a moment when he is already battling questions about trust, independence and the future purpose of Fifa.

His efforts to improve relations between Israel and Palestine remain part of the backdrop, but they have not insulated him from the backlash. Indeed, the same diplomatic ambitions that once helped define his political strategy now sit alongside the wider dispute over governance and finance.

Israel’s withdrawal, together with the departure of Lamour and the criticism from Uefa and the Premier League, suggests that Infantino’s response to the World Cup sell-off row has done more than trigger internal dissent. It has brought a much broader debate about who Fifa serves, and how it should be run, into sharper focus.