UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF unite against Gianni Infantino in FIFA governance dispute

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF have issued a joint open letter accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of breaking trust within world football and placing himself above the game.

The statement marks an unprecedented escalation in the dispute, which centres on an attempt to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup. The three confederations said the proposal was pushed forward rapidly and without sufficient consultation in an effort to avoid proper discussion.

They rejected FIFA’s explanation that the matter was caused by a communications failure, saying instead that it represented a serious governance breakdown and a direct deception of football’s institutions.

The confederations called for a fully independent external investigation into the affair and said all documents and records connected with it must be preserved.

They also disclosed that a secret meeting had taken place in Morocco, attended only by FIFA executive staff. Representatives of the elected FIFA Council and member associations were not invited.

The joint letter described the current situation as one of the most serious crises in the history of football administration. It said football belonged to everyone and that leadership was a responsibility to serve the game, not a position of personal authority.

The confederations insisted the dispute was not about money. They said they had already asked for FIFA’s substantial reserves to be distributed responsibly to increase investment in the development of member associations.

Nor, they said, was the issue about denying any member association support to which it was entitled, reconsidering competition expansions, or changing the allocation of World Cup places. Those decisions had been taken collectively and should remain collective.

The letter said the central issue was the integrity of football and the integrity of those elected to lead it.

Its full text said:

> Dear football family, > > Football is the greatest shared passion in the world. 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 protecting its future. > > From this position, and as confederations representing our members, we speak today with one voice. > > The growth achieved over the past decade has been real. But that progress was never the result of one individual’s work. It was the product of the efforts of FIFA, the confederations, the member associations and thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the sport. > > The expansion of competitions, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, and the distribution of resources to member associations were all shared achievements, agreed and implemented together. > > This is not about money. The confederations have already called for FIFA’s significant current reserves to be distributed responsibly to strengthen investment in the development of member associations. > > Nor is it about depriving any member association of support it has earned, despite scare campaigns aimed at our associations suggesting otherwise. It is also not about revisiting the expansion of competitions, the allocation of World Cup places or any other decision reached collectively. These decisions were made together and must remain so. > > This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game and the integrity of those elected to lead it. > > Leadership in football is not ownership. It is not about possessing power or claiming it. It is a duty to serve the football family that placed its trust in you. > > When trust is broken through deception, and when an individual places himself above the collective that granted him authority, that duty has been abandoned. > > FIFA’s latest letter to its vice-presidents and 211 member associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process, but treats them as a failure of communication. What football witnessed was a failure of judgement. Presenting a proposal within a narrow timeframe, without genuine consultation, and driving it towards a deadline before member associations could properly review it was not an oversight. It was a design intended to reduce scrutiny. > > The letter did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was fundamentally flawed. Nor has there yet been recognition that attempting to sell a stake in the World Cup was a grave error of judgement not merely a procedural mistake, but a fundamental breach of trust with the institutions FIFA exists to serve. > > FIFA has committed to providing its Council with a full report on these events, without recognising that proper governance in the face of such a serious error requires a review by a completely independent third party. It must not be conducted by FIFA itself, its employees or any body within football. FIFA’s administration should have no role in the investigation. > > In line with previous correspondence, all relevant documents and records must be preserved, in accordance with UEFA’s document-retention directions. > > FIFA’s letter also confirms that only one elected official attended the leadership meeting in Morocco. No FIFA Council members or member associations were invited. Attendance was limited to the administrative committee made up of FIFA’s senior executive employees. > > This latest meeting, in which a limited number of administrative committee members were gathered outside the country instead of the leadership travelling to Zurich to address the matter at FIFA’s headquarters among its staff, deepens these concerns and continues the same approach that brought us to this moment. It is not the conduct of people protecting the game, but of those who believe the game should be subject to them. > > There is silence where there should be accountability, and distance where there should be transparency. > > These are not the qualities football deserves from its leadership. That is why we have taken this position not lightly or individually, but together and out of duty to the sport we serve. > > Football’s strength has always been its unity. We ask that this unity now be respected, through leadership that serves football rather than seeking to dominate it.

The three confederations concluded by calling for transparency and accountability to be restored in order to protect the unity of world football.