ZURICH : UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF on Monday accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of breaking trust through “deception” over his abandoned plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup and called for a fully independent review.
The joint statement stopped short of explicitly calling for Infantino to resign but said the FIFA president had “placed himself above the collective” and urged football leaders to serve the game rather than seek to control it.
“Football’s strength has always been its unity,” the three confederations said in an open letter to the football community. “We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”
Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, has faced an unprecedented backlash since proposing and later abandoning a plan to sell a 20% stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors, with the deal expected to raise about $4.2 billion.
Sources close to the proceedings said the confederations viewed the letter as an opportunity for Infantino to leave office with his dignity intact.
“Leadership in football is not a possession,” the confederations said. “It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.”
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”
UEFA, backed by the AFC and CONCACAF, have also threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments unless they receive assurances that similar commercial proposals will not be put forward in future.
The three confederations are considering staging competitions among themselves to provide players with opportunities to compete amid the dispute with FIFA, according to the sources.
Independent review
The confederations criticised a FIFA emergency meeting in Morocco last week, saying only one elected official was present, and called for an independent review into what led to what they described as a “profound failure of judgement”.
They said FIFA should have no role in the review.
Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness, who has been mentioned as a potential challenger to Infantino, called on the 56-year-old to resign immediately on Friday.
After the emergency meeting, FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations and Infantino sought to reinforce support from the six continental confederations.
Africa’s CAF backed Infantino on Thursday on behalf of its 54 members, while CONCACAF member Mexico and South American nations Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia have also expressed support.
FIFA on Friday issued a strong defence of Infantino, warning against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership and insisting that any challenge must follow its statutes and democratic procedures.
FIFA’s statement followed reports by The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino’s time as UEFA general secretary. Infantino has denied the allegations and FIFA has rejected them as unfounded.
Almost 70 of FIFA’s 211 member associations have publicly indicated they will vote for Infantino, while around a dozen have either withdrawn previous support or said they will not back him.
Infantino needs a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting or a simple majority in subsequent rounds to secure another term through 2031.
While UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF have criticised his leadership, several Asian associations and Mexico continue to support the FIFA president.
