Three confederations are calling for an independent review of FIFA's plan
UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a joint letter criticizing FIFA President Gianni Infantino for his proposal to attract private investment into competitions organized under the organization’s auspices, particularly the World Cup. The three confederations stated that soccer does not belong to one person, according to Al Jazeera English.
Infantino faced criticism after presenting a plan for private investment, which he subsequently withdrew a few days later. UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC called for a fully independent review of this initiative. In the letter, they emphasized that leadership in soccer is not a form of ownership and should not be reduced to the retention or assertion of power.
The authors of the letter also criticized the emergency FIFA meeting held last week in Morocco. According to them, only one elected official was present at the meeting. The confederations are insisting on an independent investigation into the causes of what they called a grave error in judgment; in their view, FIFA should not be involved in such an investigation.
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On Saturday, FIFA announced “coordinated and sustained attempts” by certain parties to undermine the work of world soccer’s governing body and Infantino’s position. Following an emergency meeting, the organization apologized to 211 national soccer associations, and Infantino secured support from the six confederations that make up FIFA.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), on behalf of its 54 members, expressed support for Infantino. He was also backed by Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Bolivia. At the same time, nearly 70 of FIFA’s 211 member associations have publicly stated that they will vote for Infantino, while about a dozen have withdrawn their previously pledged support or announced that they will not vote for him. As Al Jazeera notes, there are also countries among the Asian associations that support the FIFA president.
