UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC Unions Criticize Infantino: Football Leadership Is Not Personal Property

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and its counterparts in Asia (AFC) and North America (CONCACAF) emphasized that football “does not belong to any individual,” in an open letter directed against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, despite his withdrawal of the project aimed at introducing private sector investors into its tournaments.

The three continental confederations stressed that football represents a shared global passion and cannot be considered the property of any specific individual or institution. They clarified that the future of the game is a shared responsibility among players, fans, clubs, national associations, and the institutions responsible for its management.

The letter pointed out that the development football has witnessed over the past decade was not the result of individual efforts, but rather the fruit of cooperation between FIFA, continental and national confederations, alongside thousands of workers in various fields related to the game.

The confederations affirmed that decisions such as expanding tournaments, awarding the organization of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, and distributing financial resources to national associations were all made collectively and should not be reconsidered.

The letter clarified that the current dispute does not concern money or the withholding of support from national associations, nor does it target previous decisions regarding tournament expansion or World Cup quotas. Rather, it is fundamentally linked to the “integrity of the game” and the “integrity of those elected to lead it.”

It added that leading football is not a personal possession nor a means to cling to power, but a responsibility to serve all elements of the game that have placed their trust in its leaders.

The confederations criticized FIFA’s recent letter to its vice presidents and the 211 national associations, viewing it as portraying the incident merely as a communication breakdown. In contrast, the confederations believe the real problem lay in poor judgment.

They considered that proposing the plan within a short timeframe, without conducting genuine consultations, and seeking to pass it before national associations had sufficient time to study its details, was not merely a passing error, but an approach that limited the possibility of scrutiny and review.

The letter also criticized FIFA’s failure to acknowledge that the proposal regarding the sale of a stake in the World Cup was fundamentally flawed, considering it a significant failure of judgment and a breach of trust with the institutions that FIFA is supposed to serve.

The confederations called for a review of these events to be fully independent, stressing that FIFA, its employees, or any other entity associated with the football family should not conduct the investigation. They also urged the preservation of all documents and records related to the matter.

The letter also addressed the leadership meeting held in Morocco, noting that only one elected official participated, while FIFA council members and national association representatives were not invited. Attendance was limited to a group of senior administrative officials within FIFA.

The confederations considered that holding the meeting outside FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, with only a limited number of administrative officials summoned, exacerbates existing concerns and reflects the continuation of the approach that led to the current crisis.

The Asian, European, and CONCACAF confederations concluded their letter by reaffirming that the strength of football lies in its unity, calling for leadership that serves the game, its institutions, and its individuals, rather than leadership seeking to impose control over it.