U.S. Soccer joins call for 'meaningful change' after UEFA, Concacaf and AFC release joint letter condemning Gianni Infantino

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. Shortly after that statement was released, U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) also banded together to ask for “ meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.” In the original statement released by UEFA, Concacaf and AFC, 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 criticized 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 providing 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." The letter never names Infantino and does not explicitly call for him to resign, though its messaging about leadership seems to heavily imply Infantino should allow someone else to take charge. Additionally, multiple reports have suggested UEFA, Concacaf and AFC are considering banding together to host their own competitions so players can continue to compete. When news of Infantino's private-investor plan first broke, UEFA announced it would boycott the World Cup and all FIFA-run events. It appears the confederation is following through on that threat. For U.S. Soccer, it marks the strongest statement the organization has made regarding Infantino and his leadership. It’s unclear whether U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU and UNCAF will band together to build their own competitions or take additional steps to put pressure on Infantino. Following massive criticism of that plan, FIFA eventually backpedaled, announcing the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup was scrapped . Though the deal was dead, criticism of Infantino did not stop. Multiple member associations announced they would not support Infantino's re-election effort . Infantino is up for re-election as FIFA's president in March 2027. No candidate has stepped forward to challenge Infantino for that role yet. With pressure mounting, Infantino called an emergency meeting in Morocco in early August. FIFA later put out a statement calling it a "constructive" meeting and noting that Infantino still had the support of members of the FIFA management board. In the days since that meeting, Infantino has received support from some FAs, including Argentina's and Mexico's, among others.