Three confederations accuse FIFA of deception over World Cup commercial plans
The joint correspondence, signed by the presidents and general secretaries of Europe, North America and Asia’s governing bodies, centres on the integrity of the game’s leadership and the aborted FIFA Forward plan.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have issued a joint open letter accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of deception and a fundamental breach of trust. The correspondence, revealed on Monday, targets the president’s recent plans to sell an interest in the World Cup.
Signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three confederations, the letter argues that trust has been broken through deception. The signatories stated that when an individual places themselves above the collective that entrusted them with authority, that duty has been abandoned. While the letter does not explicitly name Infantino, sources indicated to BBC Sport that it should be interpreted as an opportunity for him to resign with dignity.
The correspondence centres on the integrity of the game’s leadership and the governance of recent commercial initiatives. Specifically, the letter identifies the aborted FIFA Forward plan as a focal point of the dispute. The confederations assert that the president’s actions regarding the commercial rights plan constituted a fundamental breach of trust with the institutions that world soccer’s governing body serves.
This development follows a meeting of FIFA’s management board in Morocco last Wednesday, where the board backed Infantino. Subsequently, the president apologised over the process of the rejected commercial rights plan. The tension highlights a significant rift between the global governing body and its regional confederations, which govern the sport in Europe, North, Central America, the Caribbean, and Asia respectively.
The situation recalls Infantino’s previous tenure at UEFA, where he served 16 years prior to his election as FIFA president. In 2016, UEFA tightened rules for departing staff to reflect modern organisational standards, and FIFA has previously defended Infantino against allegations tied to his time at the European body. FIFA has issued a statement in response to the open letter, though the full text remains incomplete in available reports.
