UEFA, Concacaf and AFC release joint letter putting more pressure on Gianni Infantino as he faces calls to resign

UEFA and Concacaf are continuing to put pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Following news that Infantino wanted to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, both UEFA and Concacaf have emerged as the biggest critics of the president, suggesting he needs to resign. On Monday, they continued to up that pressure, and found a third confederation to join their crusade. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Concacaf and UEFA released a joint statement Monday, outlining the reasons they believe FIFA needs new leadership. In the statement, which was titled, “Open letter to the football family.” The three confederations make it clear that they are united in their opinion that one person is not responsible for success in the sport, and that soccer’s accomplishments are shared among “FIFA, the confederations, the member associations and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game.” The letter then takes Infantino to task for his leadership and integrity. “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 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. “When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.” The three confederations then criticize Infantino’s approach after his private-investor plan fell through. The confederations accuse Infantino of failing to communicate his plan ahead of time and then not provide an adequate timeline for member associations to properly review the issue before bringing it to a vote. The confederations also said FIFA did not “acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong.” While FIFA has stated it would present a full report of how the proposal came to be, the confederations noted they don’t trust FIFA to conduct that review itself, calling for a “fully independent third party” to be responsible for a review. In the wake of mounting pressure, Infantino held a FIFA leadership meeting in Morocco on Wednesday. The confederations questioned that decision, noting that there were few elected officials present at the meeting and that no FIFA council members or member associations were invited to take part in them. The confederations also pointed out that select members of the FIFA management committee were asked to attend that meeting, not the full committee. And questioned why Infantino scheduled that meeting abroad, and not at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. The letter concludes: “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.” This story will be updated.