UEFA, Concacaf, AFC call out FIFA prez Gianni Infantino

Three weeks after FIFA CEO Gianni Infantino attempted to sell a stake in the FIFA Men’s World Cup, the presidents of European, Asian and North, Central and Caribbean soccer federations issued a joint opening letter Monday calling for integrity and accountability in FIFA.

Infantino came under fire last month after it was revealed that he planned to sell a $20 billion stake in the World Cup to an investment company led by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared is the son in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion,” the AFC, Concacaf and UEFA presidents wrote. “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.

“It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today.”

The letter was signed by AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani of Canada and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin of Slovenia.

Shared credit for FIFA growth

The AFC, Concacaf and UEFA general secretaries also signed the letter. Not long after Spain beat Argentina at New York – New Jersey Stadium to win the World Cup title, word leaked out that Infantino was trying to sell a stake in the Men’s World Cup.

The proposed deal was greeted negatively throughout the world, prompting some to call for Infantino to resign. 

“The growth over the past decade has been real,” the three confederation presidents wrote. “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. This is not about money. The Confederations have already called for the responsible distribution of FIFA’s vast existing reserves to further strengthen investment in the development of Member Associations.”

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Some have wondered if Infantino can survive as FIFA CEO.  Montagliani has actually been mentioned as a potential replacement.

There clearly will be more suitors if Infantino steps down or is pushed out. The UEFA, AFC and Concacaf leaders clearly accused Infantino of deception.

‘Integrity of the game’

“This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it,” the letter stated. “Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.

“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’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment. A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny.”

The AFC, Concacaf and UEFA leaders are calling for accountability. 

“There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness,” they wrote. “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.

“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”