Gianni Infantino has come under another extraordinary attack after three of world football’s continental governing bodies united to accuse FIFA’s leadership of a “profound failure of judgment” following the abandoned attempt to sell stakes in its competitions.
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF have issued a joint open letter calling for greater accountability and insisting football belongs to no individual or institution as the backlash against the FIFA president continues.
The intervention represents another significant escalation in the crisis surrounding Infantino, whose controversial plan to bring private investors into a new commercial venture involving the World Cup was scrapped following fierce international opposition.
Several associations, including England and Wales, have subsequently withdrawn their support for Infantino’s re-election, while senior figures across European football have called for an independent investigation into how the proposals were developed.
Now three confederations have joined forces to challenge FIFA’s response to the controversy.
Addressing the “Football Family”, they wrote: “Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution.”
While acknowledging FIFA’s achievements over the past decade, the letter stressed they were the product of collective decision-making rather than one person.
The confederations insisted their concerns were not motivated by money, tournament expansion or the distribution of FIFA’s reserves.
Gianni Infantino has come under another extraordinary attack after three of world football’s continental governing bodies united to accuse FIFA’s leadership of a “profound failure of judgment” following the abandoned attempt to sell stakes in its competitions
|
GETTY
Instead, they said: “This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it.”
The letter then delivered a thinly veiled attack on Infantino’s conduct without repeatedly naming the FIFA president.
“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held,” it continued.
“It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.
Gianni Infantino is facing a fight to keep his job at FIFA
|
GETTY
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”
FIFA has acknowledged mistakes surrounding the process and committed to presenting a report to its Council.
However, the three confederations rejected the suggestion that the controversy could simply be characterised as a communication failure.
They claimed the accelerated timetable and absence of meaningful consultation amounted to “a design intended to limit scrutiny”.
They also demanded that any investigation be conducted by a completely independent third party, arguing FIFA employees and other football stakeholders should play no role in carrying it out.
The intervention comes amid wider turmoil inside the organisation.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom recently described the collapse of the project as a “sad and reproachable series of events” in an internal message to staff, while Arsene Wenger said abandoning the proposal was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.
The former Arsenal manager, FIFA’s chief of global football development, also revealed he had not been involved in the project and only discovered its existence through media reports.
Gianni Infantino is currently one of the biggest villains within the world of football | REUTERS
Meanwhile, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for a woman to take control of the organisation, publicly endorsing Norwegian football chief Lise Klaveness.
The latest open letter concluded with another pointed message about the organisation’s future.
“There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness,” it said.
Calling for unity across the sport, the three confederations demanded “leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it” as the pressure surrounding Infantino’s presidency continues to intensify.
