FA joins Wales in pulling Infantino support
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- The Football Association is set to formally withdraw its letter of support for Infantino's re-election, days after Wales became the first FIFA member to break ranks.link ›
- The FAW cited 'recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement' as the basis for withdrawing confidence in Infantino.link ›
- UEFA threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments over Infantino's abandoned $20bn FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which had targeted up to $4.2bn from external investors and collapsed Saturday morning.link ›
- Infantino had secured 200+ letters of support from FIFA's 211 associations — including 52 of UEFA's 55 members — before the FFE collapse triggered a coordinated European walkback.link ›
- Joseph Parker had his provisional suspension lifted after a VADA test returned traces of cocaine from his October stoppage loss to Fabio Wardley at The O2; he could have faced a two-year BBBofC ban.link ›
- Jahmyr Gibbs signed a three-year, $67.5M extension with the Lions (up to $75.75M) that surpasses Bijan Robinson's $66.75M deal, making him the highest-paid RB in NFL history.link ›
- LIV Golf signed a board-approved agreement with an unnamed lead investor to anchor its restructuring after PIF ends funding at the close of 2026; players will become majority equity holders under CEO Scott O'Neil.link ›
- Allan Nascimento, a 34-year-old Brazilian UFC flyweight with a 4-2 promotional record, was found unresponsive Monday after an apparent heart attack in his sleep.link ›
The Football Association is following the Welsh FA in formally withdrawing its letter of support for Gianni Infantino's 2027-2031 re-election, days after Wales became the first of FIFA's 211 member associations to break ranks. UEFA triggered the revolt by threatening to boycott all FIFA tournaments over Infantino's abandoned $20bn FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning after European opposition forced him to scrap a minority-stake sale targeting up to $4.2bn from external investors. With 52 of UEFA's 55 federations having previously backed Infantino and England now moving to withdraw, the president who looked unopposed faces a credible challenger for the March 2027 vote in Morocco — floated names include Aleksander Ceferin, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Victor Montagliani.
The stories behind this week
FA to Withdraw Infantino Support After Welsh FA Leads RevoltWith 52 of UEFA's 55 federations having originally supported Infantino, the coordinated withdrawal letters — already starting with Wales and England — could strip him of his European base ahead of the March 2027 vote, and the failed $20bn FFE plan has given rivals the opening they previously lacked to challenge a president who had appeared unopposed.
Wales First to Withdraw Support for Infantino's FIFA Re-ElectionThe first formal crack in Infantino's support base: with 200+ support letters now being withdrawn across Europe and UEFA publicly weighing emergency Council or Congress action, Infantino faces credible pressure before the scheduled March 2027 presidential election.
UFC's Nascimento, 34, dies after apparent heart attackNascimento was an active, winning UFC roster member — not a retiree — making his sudden death at 34 a stark reminder of the cardiovascular toll combat sports can exact even on young athletes in their prime competitive years. Oliveira's tribute underscores how closely knit Brazil's MMA fraternity remains.
Joseph Parker to return after drugs ban liftedParker's reinstatement puts a 34-year-old former world champion back in the heavyweight mix after a single failed test rather than a two-year ban. He surrenders his WBO mandatory spot to Usyk but exits the saga with his career intact, just months removed from a six-fight run that included wins over Wilder and Zhang.
Raducanu to skip US Open with stress fractureThe withdrawal ends Raducanu's 2024 Grand Slam season prematurely and extends a frustrating 12-month stretch in which injury and illness have repeatedly interrupted her comeback — meaning the former US Open champion will have played only a handful of events this year and enters 2025 still rebuilding match fitness rather than building ranking points.
Tarik Skubal takes loss in Dodgers debut as Los Angeles' season-high losing streak continuesThe Dodgers gave up significant prospect capital to land an ace-level arm at the trade deadline, so even a competent Skubal debut matters less than the surrounding reality: Los Angeles has now dropped five straight — a season high — and gone 10-14 since July 3, a stretch that threatens their seeding and the early return on their blockbuster deadline deal.
Lions' Gibbs becomes highest-paid RB in NFL historyGibbs overtakes Robinson by less than $1M in total value and $500K in AAV, showing the running-back market is resetting in compressed increments rather than leaps. Detroit is banking $67.5M on a 24-year-old who, despite historic production, has never played on a playoff team — and just gutted his backfield tandem.
LIV Golf Signs Lead Investor After PIF PulloutThe player-majority equity structure gives stars like DeChambeau and Rahm direct ownership stakes rather than just contracts, fundamentally changing retention leverage — especially with DeChambeau's reported $500m ask and expiring 2026 deal still unresolved. PIF's April decision to let LIV shop for a successor rather than pulling the plug cold bought the league the runway to restructure.
Why it matters: The March 2027 FIFA presidential election, which Infantino had treated as a coronation after amassing 200+ support letters, is now a genuinely competitive race — with European federations actively shopping for a unity candidate among Ceferin, Sheikh Salman, Montagliani or Al-Khelaifi.
