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‘Gianni Infantino broke trust through deception’: UEFA, AFC and CONMEBOL raise further heat, launch tirade against FIFA
UEFA, AFC and CONMEBOL issue an open letter against FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino.
The troubles continue to mount for FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino. On Monday, the continental governing bodies of the sport in Europe (UEFA), Asia (AFC), and Central America (CONMEBOL) issued an open letter to the world body, lambasting the body for repeatedly breaking trust over its proposed World Cup stake sale. The latest letter has been signed by the presidents and the general secretaries of the above-mentioned bodies, and it was made clear that Infantino tried to tamper with the "integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it".
The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal would have created a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and would have sold a 21 per cent stake to a private investment company.
However, the constant scrutiny from UEFA, AFC and CONMEBOL led FIFA to scrap the plan. The latest joint statement from the bodies did not name Infantino, but it was clear the jabs were directed at him, as trust between FIFA and the continental governing bodies has broken down.
“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," the statement said.
"When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned," the letter added.
The joint letter also called for a review to be "conducted by a fully independent third party" after FIFA committed to present a report to the FIFA Council in October.
“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," the letter said.
What led to the letter?
This latest statement comes in the aftermath of FIFA's comments, where the body criticised a "concerted and ongoing effort" to "undermine the organisation and Infantino. FIFA has been called upon to safeguard the integrity of the sport and ensure its sanctity.
“This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it,” the joint letter stated.
"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," it added.
These latest comments from the three continental bodies have renewed scrutiny of Infantino, and it's becoming increasingly concerning for him to secure yet another term at the helm of FIFA. Infantino wants to keep his post as the President, but he's struggling to get votes from member associations.
Infantino also faced heat over how the World Cup went ahead in the US, and he faced a lot of criticism after the US player Folarin Balogun's red card was reversed at the request of US President Donald Trump.
