RABAT, Aug. 7 -- The letter from Buenos Aires arrived late Thursday, and its weight had nothing to do with its word count. The Argentine Football Association, governing body of the reigning world champions, told Gianni Infantino he had its backing to continue leading FIFA through the deepest governance crisis of his presidency. Coming 48 hours after an emergency meeting at which Infantino publicly apologized to his senior leadership for what he called mistakes, Argentina's endorsement marked something his adversaries had not fully anticipated: a coalition forming around him.

The timing was precise. AFA's statement dropped as the Mexican federation and the Confederation of African Football were already on record with their own letters of ...