Three football confederations call for independent probe into FIFA

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have jointly accused FIFA’s leadership of “deception” and a “fundamental breach of trust” over Gianni Infantino’s failed plans to sell a stake in the World Cup and called for the matter to be reviewed entirely by independent experts.

The three continental governing bodies issued an open letter to the “football family” on August 10, Caliber.Az reports, citing Sky Sports.

While Infantino was not named directly, the three-page document referred to a leader who had “abandoned their duty” by breaking trust “through deception.”

The confederations again criticised the proposal to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup and rejected FIFA’s characterisation of the plan as a “mistake.”

“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.”

UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC were the three confederations that opposed Infantino’s proposal before it was abandoned. UEFA subsequently went further by announcing a boycott of FIFA competitions and said last week that the threat remained as long as Infantino continues to lead the organisation.

The three associations also criticised the way a FIFA management committee meeting was conducted in Morocco last Wednesday. The meeting concluded with a public statement backing Infantino, rather than addressing broader questions surrounding FIFA’s senior leadership at its headquarters in Switzerland.

“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. “There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness.”

UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF called for the matter to be reviewed entirely by independent experts, not by FIFA itself, its staff or anyone with vested interests within football.

The statement said FIFA administration must not participate in conducting this review.

The organisations’ open confrontation with Infantino began in July, when he sought to advance a project to attract private investors to World Cup tournaments.

According to critics, in his pursuit of maximising profits, Infantino had lost sight of the interests of football, players and fans. Infantino ultimately abandoned the project, but the decision did not silence his opponents, who continue to call for his removal.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov