UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF demand independent inquiry into Infantino rights dispute

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF have accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of breaking football’s trust through “deception” and putting himself above the organisations that elected him.

In an unprecedented open letter to the football community, the three confederations stopped short of calling for Infantino to resign but demanded a fully independent investigation into the events surrounding his abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup.

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

Infantino has faced mounting opposition since proposing the sale of 20% of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors. The plan was intended to raise about $4.2bn.

UEFA, with the support of the AFC and CONCACAF, has threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments unless it receives assurances that similar plans to transfer or sell commercial rights will not be brought forward in future.

“Leadership in football is not a possession,” the three confederations said. “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,” they added.

The confederations also criticised an emergency FIFA meeting held in Morocco last week, claiming that only one elected official attended. They said the circumstances should be examined by a review that was entirely independent of FIFA, in order to establish how what they called a “profound failure of judgement” had occurred.

The dispute has intensified an already serious leadership crisis ahead of the FIFA presidential election. Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation and a long-standing critic of Infantino, called for the 56-year-old to resign immediately on Friday. She is regarded by some as a potential challenger.

Infantino nonetheless retains support from a number of FIFA member associations and confederations. Following Wednesday’s emergency meeting, FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations, while Infantino worked to reinforce his position among the six continental confederations that make up world football’s governing body.

The African confederation, CAF, released a statement on Thursday supporting Infantino on behalf of its 54 members. Mexico also backed him, as did the South American nations Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia.

The split became more visible on Friday after Infantino attended the inauguration of Colombia’s new president, Abelardo De La Espriella, in Cali. FIFA responded forcefully to those challenging the president, warning of what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine him.

FIFA said any attempt to challenge Infantino’s leadership must be conducted in line with its rules and democratic procedures. The organisation also referred to support for the president from several football bodies, including CONMEBOL, the South American confederation.

That statement followed a report by The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino’s time as UEFA general secretary. Infantino has denied the allegations, while FIFA has described them as baseless.

The political dispute has already affected Infantino’s support among FIFA’s 211 members. Nearly 70 associations have publicly said they intend to vote for him, but about a dozen have either withdrawn commitments made previously or confirmed they will not support his candidacy.

Despite the opposition from parts of European football, UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF do not have unanimous backing across their regions. Several Asian countries continue to support Infantino, while Mexico has maintained its backing even though CONCACAF has taken a broader position against the proposed rights arrangement.