Overview
- The Royal Belgian Football Association announced on Monday that it will not back Gianni Infantino’s re-election bid, saying FIFA has not given satisfactory explanations for suspending Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-game World Cup ban.
- Belgium has formally asked FIFA to add the Balogun case to the FIFA Council agenda on October 15 so the disciplinary process and any outside interventions can be examined.
- The federation also cited unresolved questions about FIFA Forward Enterprise, the now-withdrawn plan to sell roughly 20% of World Cup commercial rights for about $4.2 billion, saying key decisions and valuations were not transparent.
- FIFA has confirmed Infantino will stand for re-election; national associations must file candidate nominations by November 18 and the vote will take place at the March 2027 Congress in Rabat.
- The decision deepens a split in FIFA membership led by UEFA’s calls for independent review and legal disclosure, raising the prospect that coalition-building, court actions and council scrutiny will determine whether governance reforms or a competitive challenge reshape the presidency.