UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC increase pressure on Infantino

UEFA and its Asian and North American counterparts, CONCACAF, have intensified pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino, despite his withdrawal of the project aimed at bringing private investors into its tournaments. In an open letter today, the confederations emphasized that football “does not belong to any individual.”

The three continental confederations stated in their “open letter to the football family” that “leadership in football is not ownership. It is not about holding (power), or claiming to hold it,” adding, “When trust is lost due to deception, when an individual places himself above the group that entrusted him with power, he has abdicated that duty.”

The three confederations were not swayed by the counterattack launched by FIFA last Wednesday, when it offered “apologies” for the controversy sparked by its project to create a commercial company, while announcing its “full support” for Infantino following a crisis meeting in Rabat.

By addressing the “football family,” which is deeply divided in its reading of this issue, the three bodies are specifically seeking to dispel concerns that may arise among the confederations that remained loyal to Infantino, taking into account the financial returns he had promised them.

The presidents and general secretaries of the three continental bodies wrote: “This is not about money. The continental confederations have previously called for a responsible distribution of FIFA’s current massive reserves, with the aim of further enhancing investment in the development of member associations.”

Furthermore, UEFA, which has threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments, along with CONCACAF and the Asian confederation, does not intend “to roll back the expansion of competitions, or the World Cup-related allocations, or any other decision made collectively. These decisions were made together, and they must be maintained.”

Canadian CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani is viewed as a potential rival to Infantino, who is seeking a fourth and final term in the FIFA presidential election, scheduled for Rabat in March next year.

Before this crisis, Infantino was expected to run unopposed, with the nomination deadline set for November 18. However, events have been turned upside down as a result of this crisis.

Although the proposal has effectively been dead for more than two weeks, after UEFA described it as a “poor and opaque deal struck behind closed doors,” the continental confederations directed sharp criticism at it, citing what they considered a lack of judgment. They viewed it as “not the behavior one would trust with the game, but rather the behavior of someone who believes the game is accountable to him.”