UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF turn up pressure on Infantino over FIFA investment row

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed pressure on Monday after UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC joined forces to declare that football “belongs to no individual”.

Infantino has faced mounting criticism since unveiling, and subsequently withdrawing within days, a controversial proposal to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

FIFA responded on Saturday by condemning what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine both the governing body and its president.

However, the latest joint statement from the governing bodies of European, North and Central American, and Asian football shows that opposition to Infantino remains strong.

“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held,” the three confederations said.

They went further, arguing that leadership responsibilities had been abandoned when trust was damaged.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” they added.

The three confederations had already been among the strongest critics of Infantino’s proposed investment plan and have continued to challenge the FIFA president even after the proposal was shelved.

Infantino Faces Potential Election Challenge

The growing tensions come ahead of the FIFA presidential election, with Infantino expected to seek a fourth and final term in office at next year’s election in Rabat.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is regarded as a potential challenger to the Swiss, although candidates have until November 18 to officially declare their intentions.

UEFA’s threat to boycott the World Cup if the private investment proposal went ahead was considered a major factor in Infantino abandoning the plan.

Such a boycott could potentially have deprived the tournament of some of the world’s leading national teams, including reigning champions Spain as well as France and England.

Before the latest controversy, Infantino had appeared likely to face little opposition after overseeing a successful World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The 56-year-old Swiss has been FIFA president for a decade and has received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while South American governing body CONMEBOL has also largely supported his leadership.

However, the confederations do not vote as unified blocs, and Infantino continues to have supporters within CONCACAF and the AFC. Mexico, Kuwait and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar are among those who have expressed support.

Confederations Accuse FIFA of Poor Judgment

Despite the investment proposal being withdrawn more than a week ago, the dispute has continued.

UEFA previously described the plan as a “shabby, opaque, backroom deal”, while the latest statement accused FIFA’s leadership of failing to properly acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.

“FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process,” the confederations said.

“It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment.”

The criticism comes despite Infantino receiving the “full support” of senior FIFA directors during an emergency meeting in Morocco last week.

The three confederations questioned the significance of that meeting, pointing out that only selected members of the FIFA Management Committee were present.

“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,” they said.

They added that the meeting represented “a continuation of the very pattern of conduct” that had contributed to the current dispute.

“It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him,” the confederations said.

FIFA World Cup Success Not Down to One Person

Infantino had been able to point to the success of the latest FIFA World Cup, the first edition to feature 48 teams, as one of the major achievements of his decade in charge.

However, UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC stressed that the growth of the global game could not be attributed to one individual.

“The growth over the past decade has been real,” they said. “But that progress was never the work of one individual.”

Instead, they argued that the development of international football had been achieved through the combined efforts of FIFA, the confederations, national associations and the thousands of people working throughout the sport.

“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,” they added.

The confederations ended their statement by accusing FIFA’s current leadership of lacking transparency and accountability.

“Under your 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.”