Belgium's football association has vowed to oppose Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election as Fifa president, in part because it remains dissatisfied with the handling of the Folarin Balogun incident.

Infantino confirmed at the weekend that he intends to stand again in the March election, despite a furious backlash to his now-abandoned plans to partially privatise the World Cup. Infantino has led Fifa since 2016, and the vote is scheduled to take place at the Fifa Congress, where each of the 211 member associations holds one ballot. Public opposition from individual federations such as Belgium's is unusual, although a single federation's stance does not by itself determine the outcome of the election.

The Belgian FA cited unresolved concerns over that episode, as well as the handling of the suspension handed to USA striker Balogun. That suspension was lifted ahead of the United States' game against Belgium at this summer's World Cup following pressure from President Trump. The episode fed into a broader dispute between Uefa and Fifa over governance of the international match calendar and commercial decisions, with Belgium positioning itself firmly on the European side of that divide.

"The Royal Belgian Football Association cannot support Gianni Infantino's candidacy for a new term as Fifa president," the association said, adding that its "decision rests on two fundamental pillars where Fifa has so far failed to provide transparency".

The first pillar concerned Infantino's plan to house the World Cup rights in a spin-off company and sell minority stakes to outside investors led by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law. The proposal drew criticism from several stakeholder groups, including Uefa and leagues, before it was shelved.

"Regarding a number of key decisions and financial estimates within this file, insufficient insight has been provided to date regarding the underlying rationale and decision-making process," the Belgian FA said. "This raises questions about the transparency and governance of the process. We remain aligned with Uefa and jointly demand clear answers on the decision-making process and the next steps."

Belgian FA aligned with Uefa over Infantino and Fifa

On the second pillar, the RBFA said "key questions remain unanswered" over the Balogun episode.

"Despite our explicit requests for (1) a clear justification of the decisions taken and (2) clarification on how such situations will be handled in the future, we have not received a satisfactory response to date," it said.

"It is essential – in the interest of Fifa, good governance, and the credibility of international football – that such cases are handled transparently and meticulously, with clear safeguards for the future."

The RBFA said it remained aligned with Uefa, which has initiated legal proceedings in the US against Infantino with a view to a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland.