UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF renew calls for Gianni Infantino to quit FIFA leadership

Three confederations have accused Infantino of breaking trust over a proposed World Cup commercial stake sale and called for leadership change, even as Trump and other members defended him.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday it would be “a terrible mistake” to replace Gianni Infantino, the embattled FIFA president who tried, and failed, to sell off part of the World Cup to private investors. Infantino came under renewed fire in an open letter signed by three confederations — Europe’s UEFA, North and Central America’s CONCACAF and Asia’s AFC — accusing the world football boss of breaking trust “through deception”. But Trump backed Infantino, who awarded the US president a “FIFA Peace Prize” at the World Cup draw ceremony last year. “FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump called Infantino “fantastic” and said he “presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented”. “If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again!” added Trump, who attended the World Cup final with Infantino last month. — Screengrab via Truth Social. Trump’s backing of Infantino is at odds with US Soccer, which joined the voices lining up against the FIFA president. Infantino launched, and then withdrew in the face of scathing criticism, a plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including World Cups. FIFA hit back on Saturday at efforts “to undermine” football’s governing body and Infantino. However, Monday’s joint letter from UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC retorted: “Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held. “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 boycott threat CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a potential challenger to Infantino, who will be up for re-election for a fourth and final term at the FIFA Congress in March, 2027. Candidates have to be declared by November 18. Infantino had looked certain to be unopposed for a fourth term after overseeing a successful World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada until his plans were revealed. The 56-year-old Swiss, who has been in situ for 10 years, has received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) while South American governing body CONMEBOL is largely supportive. Individual member associations, not confederations, vote in the FIFA election; Infantino has received support from CONCACAF’s Mexico and two AFC members — Kuwait and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, where he has a house. ‘Shabby, backroom deal’ UEFA’s threat to boycott World Cups if the private investment plan went ahead proved pivotal in Infantino withdrawing his sell-off plan. UEFA had called it “a shabby, opaque, backroom deal” and lashed out at Infantino again on Monday for a “failure of judgment”. After the furore, Infantino received “full support” of senior FIFA directors in an emergency meeting in Morocco last week, but the three confederations said that was meaningless. The recent meeting, where “a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee” were present, they said, “represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment”. “It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him.” Infantino had been basking in the afterglow of the largest ever World Cup involving 48 teams until his plans divided the sport. “The growth over the past decade has been real. But that progress was never the work of one individual,” declared the letter. “It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game. “The expanded tournaments… were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together.” Under Infantino’s leadership, “there is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness”, they said. “That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve. Football’s strength has always been its unity.”

Three of FIFA’s six confederations issued an open letter to the “football family” attacking President Gianni Infantino’s conduct during the proposed sale of a stake in World Cup commercial rights and calling for leadership that works for the game. The letter, co-signed by the presidents of UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF, called for an independent review […]

The governing bodies in Europe, the Americas and Asia unite in an open letter pledging their allegiance against embattled FIFA boss Gianni Infantino.

UEFA (Europe), Concacaf (North America, Central America ‌and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia) joined together to ​release an open letter signed by the president ⁠and general secretary of each organisation

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations — UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC — declared football “belongs to no individual..” Infantino has been the butt of scathing criticism ever since launching, and then withdrawing within days, a plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including World Cups. FIFA had hit back on Saturday at “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” football’s governing body and Infantino. READ: Under-fire Fifa chief Gianni Infantino gets key supporters However, Monday’s letter from the governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central […]...Keep on reading: Embattled Gianni Infantino target of letter from three confederations

UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC believe that FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s recent plan to sell an interest in the World Cup was a “fundamental breach of trust” with the institutions world soccer’s governing body serves.In an “open letter to the football family” revealed on Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC also said that “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 runs soccer in Europe, CONCACAF does the same for North, Central America and the Caribbean, while the AFC governs the sport in Asia.The letter was co-signed by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and three general secretaries.“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the member associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future,” the open letter said. “It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today.”Infantino is facing a revolt after his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors.“It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him,” the letter said. “These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.”UEFA previously issued a threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions despite the governing body abandoning and apologizing for its failed plan.Norway’s soccer federation called for Infantino to step down, while the English Football Association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election next March.“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now,” the letter said. “For leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”Last Wednesday, FIFA said it had apologized for errors made over the failed plan but that senior staff at a crisis meeting in Morocco “reaffirmed their full support” for his presidency.However, the nature of the meeting was also met with criticism.“FIFA’s own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the leadership meeting in Morocco,” the open letter said. “No FIFA Council members or Member Associations were invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present.”FIFA was also urged to go further than just acknowledging mistakes were made.“It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment,” the letter said. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.”In a statement Saturday, FIFA defended Infantino against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the organization.That statement followed a report by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph raising questions about an exit package paid by UEFA to a female staffer who worked with Infantino when he was general secretary of European soccer’s ruling body.UEFA confirmed that a “departure payment” was made to the employee and said it was “in line” with regulations at the time.Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years before being elected FIFA president. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer —Associated Press

Gianni Infantino continues to face pressure for trying to sell stakes in the World Cup.

The open letter criticised Infantino’s judgment and called on FIFA to apologise for poor leadership rather than miscommunication amid its failed attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC have kept up the pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down with a scathing open letter.

'Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held,' UEFA, CONCACAF, AFC wrote

FIFA President Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations — European football’s governing body UEFA, Confederations of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) — declared football “belongs to no individual”. Infantino has been the butt of scathing criticism ever since launching, and then withdrawing within days, a plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including World Cups. FIFA had hit back on Saturday at “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” football’s governing body and Infantino. However, Monday’s letter from UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC showed his critics are unbowed. “Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held,” they wrote. “When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the confederations added. The three confederations had been vociferous in their condemnation of Infantino’s plan and had not let up after it was shelved. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a potential challenger to Infantino, who will seek a fourth and final term at the FIFA presidential election in Rabat next March. Candidates have to be declared by November 18. UEFA’s threat to boycott World Cups if the private investment plan went ahead — in theory depriving the competition of teams including reigning men’s champions Spain and 2026 semi-finalists France and England — proved pivotal in Infantino withdrawing his plan. Prior to this debacle, Infantino had looked likely to be unopposed, after overseeing a successful World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The 56-year-old Swiss, who has been in situ for 10 years, has received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) while South American governing body CONMEBOL are largely supportive. The confederations do not vote as blocs and there have been some supportive voices for Infantino from CONCACAF, Mexico and two AFC members — Kuwait and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, where he has a house. Although the proposal has been dead in the water for over a week now — UEFA had termed it “a shabby, opaque, backroom deal” — the confederations harangued him for a lack of judgment. “FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process,” they said. “It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment.” ‘Accountability’ Although Infantino had received the “full support” of senior FIFA directors last week in an emergency meeting he called in Morocco, the confederations said it was meaningless. “This recent meeting, where a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee — not the full Committee — were summoned abroad, rather than leadership going to Zurich to address the heart of FIFA, its staff, only reinforces these concerns and represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment,” they said. “It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him.” Infantino had been basking in the afterglow of a hugely successful World Cup — the largest ever involving 48 teams. However, the confederations made clear in the letter that it was not just Infantino who had made this possible. “The growth over the past decade has been real,” they said. “But that progress was never the work of one individual. “It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game. “The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together.” The confederations signed off their letter by claiming that under Infantino’s leadership “there is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness”. They added: “That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve. Football’s strength has always been its unity.”

FIFA had hit back on Saturday at "a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine" football's governing body and Infantino.

On Monday, the three confederations released a joint letter, critical of Infantino and signed by their presidents and general secretaries.

Confederations write open letter damning Fifa presidentConcacaf president Montagliani seen as top contenderUefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf will push for Gianni Infantino to resign after writing an open letter calling for “leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it”.In a dramatic escalation of the war that has threatened to tear football apart since details emerged of the Fifa president’s failed Football Forward Enterprise scheme, the three governing bodies accused Infantino of “trust broken through deception” and condemned his failure to acknowledge that the proposal should not have been unilaterally launched. Continue reading...

In an open letter published on Monday, European ruling body UEFA and other football associations reaffirmed their criticism of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and continued to call for a fresh start at the helm of the sports' governing body. The letter was co-signed by UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

August 10 – The strongest condemnation of the leadership of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to date has come this morning from three of his presidential peers. In an open letter to the ‘football family’ they say Infantino’s conduct is “not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him”. The letter signed, by the presidents of the AFC (Shaikh Salman), Concacaf (Victor Montagliani) and UEFA (Aleksander Ceferin), Read more … The post AFC, Concacaf and UEFA tell Infantino football is not his possession; that he has lost trust through his deception appeared first on Inside World Football.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations -- UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC -- declared football "belongs to no individual".

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations -- UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC -- declared football "belongs to no individual".

Monday's letter from European football body Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC showed that Gianni Infantino's critics remained undeterred.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations -- UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC -- declared football "belongs to no individual".However, Monday's letter from the governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC), showed his critics were unbowed.