Fifa crisis: Europe, North America and Asia unite to call for Infantino to quit
Uefa, Concacaf and AFC, three of Fifa’s four biggest confederations, have joined forces to renew calls for embattled president Gianni Infantino to step down.
In an open letter, they accuse him of failing to recognise that his plan to effectively privatise the World Cup was “a fundamental breach of trust” and not just “a procedural misstep”.
“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it,” it says.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”
It adds: “There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness. 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.
“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”
Why Uefa, Concacaf, Asia union cuold be key
The union of Uefa, Concacaf and AFC – Europe; Central and North America and the Caribbean; and Asia – threatens Infantino’s position as it represents a majority of Fifa’s 211 members.
However, some individual football associations, including those from Qatar and Mexico, have backed the Fifa boss, indicating that there is not complete consensus among them.
Infantino has been under fire since plans to sell off stakes in a new company that would manage the commercial rights to the World Cup leaked a fortnight ago.
The proposal has also been criticised by senior figures within the governing body, including chief operating officer Kevin Lamour and development chief Arsene Wenger.
Fifa published a statement after crisis talks last week insisting that Infantino had the support of its leadership as well as many of its member associations.
Since then he has been hit with fresh allegations concerning his personal life while he was general secretary of Uefa more than a decade ago.
Infantino has denied the claims, while Fifa said there was “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president”.