Uefa and major confederations accuse Fifa president Gianni Infantino of ‘deception’ over World Cup plan

Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have accused Fifa president Gianni Infantino of a “fundamental breach of trust” after his failed attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity investors.

In an open letter described as being addressed to the “football family”, the three confederations said Infantino’s actions amounted to a serious failure of leadership and judgement.

They also criticised the way Fifa handled a crisis meeting in Morocco last week, saying no Fifa Council members or member associations had been invited to take part.

The letter was signed by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani and three general secretaries.

Uefa governs football in Europe, Concacaf covers North, Central America and the Caribbean, while the AFC is responsible for the sport in Asia.

“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. 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,” the open letter said. “It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today.”

The intervention follows an increasingly public revolt against Infantino after Fifa abandoned the proposal to sell commercial interests in the World Cup.

Uefa had previously threatened to boycott the World Cup and other Fifa competitions over the plan, despite Fifa later apologising for what it described as errors.

The confederations said the proposal represented more than a communications problem.

“It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him,” the letter said. “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.”

Norway’s football federation has called for Infantino to resign, while the English Football Association has withdrawn its support for his re-election next March.

The letter also urged Fifa to preserve unity across the sport.

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

Last Wednesday, Fifa said it had apologised for mistakes linked to the failed plan. It also said senior officials at a crisis meeting in Morocco had “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino’s presidency.

However, Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC questioned the legitimacy of that meeting.

“Fifa’s own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the leadership meeting in Morocco,” the open letter said. “No Fifa council members or member associations were invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of Fifa-employed senior staff, was present.”

The three confederations said Fifa must acknowledge the underlying judgement involved in attempting to sell an interest in its flagship competition.

“It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment,” the letter said. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the Fifa World Cup was a profound failure of judgment not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions Fifa exists to serve.”