UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf have jointly questioned whether Gianni Infantino should continue as FIFA president, demanding changes within world football's governing body. In an open letter published on Monday, the three confederations accused Infantino of breaking the trust of FIFA's members over a controversial plan to commercialize a stake in World Cup rights.
The letter was signed by the presidents of the three confederations: Aleksander Ceferin of UEFA, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa of the AFC, and Victor Montagliani of Concacaf. One of the letter's strongest lines stated that when confidence is broken through deception, when an individual places themselves above the collective that entrusted them with authority, that duty has been abandoned.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise plan
The dispute began with the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which drew heavy criticism from various sectors of football and was ultimately withdrawn. Infantino's organization acknowledged that mistakes were made during the process, but that admission still triggered a confrontation with UEFA, the AFC and Concacaf.
The confederations said in their statement that it was never acknowledged that the proposal itself was fundamentally flawed, adding that it still has not been recognized that trying to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup was a serious error of judgment, not merely a procedural failure, but a fundamental betrayal of the trust placed in the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.
The project had aimed to build a commercial structure tied to World Cup rights to attract private investment. It was valued at 20 billion dollars, with FIFA seeking to raise up to 4.2 billion dollars by selling a minority stake to private capital.
Possible consequences for FIFA
According to The Guardian, UEFA, the AFC and Concacaf are considering alternative competitions and even boycotts of FIFA-organized tournaments. One of the first consequences could come at the Women's Under-20 World Cup, scheduled for September in Poland, where the participation of European national teams is reportedly under discussion.
Despite the pressure, Infantino still retains support. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Conmebol remain aligned with him, and several national associations continue to back his continuity, meaning the standoff does not automatically mean the end of his presidency.
