UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf, which governs football in the Caribbean, North America and Central America, renewed their criticism of FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Monday. In a joint letter addressed to the "football family," the three confederations said the sport belongs to no individual and called for a fully independent review of a proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup.
Infantino is not named in the letter, but the confederations directed criticism at the handling of the episode and questioned how FIFA dealt with the initiative, which was eventually dropped. Leadership in football is not a possession, the confederations wrote, adding that it is not about holding or demanding power but a duty of service to the football family that grants it.
The confederations also accused FIFA's leadership of breaking trust by acting without broad consultation of the organization's member bodies. They said that when trust is broken through deception, and when an individual places themselves above the collective that entrusted them with authority, that duty has been abandoned.
Confederations dispute FIFA's account
The three bodies challenged how FIFA characterized the events. According to the letter, a recent communication FIFA sent to its vice presidents and its 211 member federations acknowledged mistakes in the process but treated the episode as a communication failure.
UEFA, the AFC and Concacaf said the problem was more serious, calling it a failure of judgment. They said the proposal was presented on a tight deadline, without meaningful consultation, and before member federations could properly review its terms.
The confederations also rejected the idea that the issue is purely financial. The dispute, they said, centers on the integrity of the game and the responsibility of those in football's leadership positions. They repeated their call for a review conducted by a fully independent third party, saying FIFA's own administration, staff or any other stakeholder in football should not take part in the investigation.
Pressure on Infantino grows
The new statement adds to mounting pressure on Infantino, who has already faced criticism from various parts of football and from political figures. In late July, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Infantino was "the wrong person" to lead FIFA and called the proposal to open part of the organization's commercial rights to the market "outrageous." Burnham said the mere fact the plan was considered already put Infantino's position in doubt.
UEFA had previously voiced its own dissatisfaction, saying FIFA's current leadership had lost the confidence not only of the European body but of other members of the international football community. Some European national federations have also spoken out against Infantino.
In the new letter, the three confederations stressed they are not seeking to reverse decisions made collectively, such as the expansion of the World Cup or the distribution of tournament slots. Their aim, they said, is to question how decisions with major consequences were carried out.
What the letter says
The letter credits the growth football has seen over the past decade to FIFA, the confederations, member federations and thousands of people working in the sport, not to any single person. It cites the expansion of tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, and the distribution of resources to federations as shared achievements reached and delivered together.
The confederations said the dispute is not about money, noting they had already called for a responsible distribution of FIFA's reserves to boost investment in member federations, nor about any federation losing support despite what they described as alarmism suggesting otherwise. They also reiterated that competition expansion, World Cup slot allocations and other collectively made decisions should stand.
The letter said FIFA's proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup was itself fundamentally wrong, not merely a procedural slip but a breach of the trust of the institutions FIFA exists to serve. It also said a report FIFA has committed to giving its Council on the episode is not enough, and that proper governance requires review by a fully independent third party rather than FIFA itself.
The confederations noted that FIFA's own letter confirmed only one elected official attended a leadership meeting in Morocco, with no FIFA Council members or member federations invited. Only FIFA's management committee, made up of senior staff, was present, and only a restricted number of its members, not the full committee, according to the letter. Holding the meeting abroad rather than in Zurich, the confederations said, reinforced their concerns and continued a pattern of conduct. They said this was not the conduct of a guardian of football but of someone who believes football owes them accountability, describing silence where there should be accountability and distance where there should be openness. The confederations closed by calling for football's unity to be respected and for leadership that serves the game rather than seeks to dominate it.
