CONCACAF has withdrawn its confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino, following a similar declaration by European governing body UEFA.
The decision puts further pressure on Infantino after he developed a plan to sell shares in the World Cup before abandoning the proposal in response to opposition from a number of countries.
UEFA was not satisfied by his decision to reverse course. It issued a strongly worded statement saying it had lost confidence in the FIFA president. CONCACAF has now followed UEFA by publicly criticising Infantino’s leadership.
“The events of the past few days have highlighted an issue that can no longer be ignored,” CONCACAF said.
“The future of the World Cup, a major asset of global football, has been neglected by every existing governance framework, without transparency, consultation or an appropriate process. It is a symptom of a leadership that no longer puts football first,” the organisation added.
CONCACAF also described the proposal as part of a wider pattern of concerns about the FIFA presidency.
“This recent, unilateral and blatant act of poor governance and leadership is part of a series of similar errors and behaviour. A thorough review of this presidency is absolutely necessary,” it said.
The public opposition from UEFA and CONCACAF threatens Infantino’s position as FIFA president. Together, the two confederations represent 90 of FIFA’s 211 member countries, meaning that 90 members have already expressed opposition to him.
A majority of FIFA’s members would be required to remove Infantino permanently. However, such a decision could not be completed through the statements already issued by the two confederations. The removal process would have to take place at an extraordinary meeting.
The dispute centres on the handling of the World Cup, which CONCACAF described as one of the most important assets in world football. The organisation said the plans had been considered without sufficient transparency, consultation or an appropriate procedure.
Infantino withdrew his proposal after significant resistance from numerous countries, but that reversal did not restore UEFA’s confidence. UEFA’s statement was followed by CONCACAF’s own criticism, extending the challenge to the FIFA president beyond Europe.
The wording used by CONCACAF represents a direct attack on both the recent proposal and the wider conduct of the FIFA presidency. It said the events had exposed a governance problem that could no longer be overlooked and called for a comprehensive examination of Infantino’s leadership.
With the support of two major confederations now questioned, the FIFA president’s future depends on whether opposition among the organisation’s members reaches the threshold needed for his removal. Any final decision would require an extraordinary meeting, rather than being settled by the declarations made by UEFA and CONCACAF.
