FIFA allegedly prepared draft letters for some member associations ahead of the 2026 World Cup, encouraging them to publicly support Gianni Infantino’s re-election as president of world football’s governing body, according to a report by Sky News.
Sky News reported that the draft letters were circulated among some FIFA member federations in May and June and were prepared by FIFA staff. The documents reportedly highlighted Infantino’s leadership and achievements during his time as president.
The report said that in some cases, the names of federation presidents and signing locations had already been added to the drafts before they were returned to FIFA as formal statements of support.
According to Sky News sources, the letters were not sent to all of FIFA’s 211 member associations. FIFA has not publicly commented on the allegations.
The claims have raised questions over FIFA’s election procedures and governance standards, particularly regarding the use of organisational resources during a presidential election process.
Miguel Maduro, the former chair of FIFA’s governance committee, criticised the reported practice, saying that using FIFA’s administrative structure to support an incumbent president could weaken the separation between the organisation and the electoral process.
Maduro argued that such actions could provide an unfair advantage to a sitting president by using institutional influence during an election campaign.
Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 after Sepp Blatter resigned following a major corruption scandal that led to widespread scrutiny of the organisation’s leadership and governance. Since then, Infantino has overseen major changes, including the expansion of the FIFA World Cup and growth in commercial revenues.
The allegations come as FIFA continues to face international scrutiny over transparency, governance reforms and the role of political influence in football administration.
