The relationship between the main football confederations and FIFA is going through one of its most tense periods in recent years. UEFA, Concacaf and AFC took a joint step by publishing an open letter in which they questioned the organisation’s management, called for greater transparency and accused FIFA’s leadership of “deception”. The document, signed by the three confederations’ leading representatives, focuses on the way the failed project to create a subsidiary aimed at commercialising a stake in the World Cup was promoted and places Gianni Infantino at the centre of a dispute that has already gone beyond strictly commercial matters.
The conflict also has an institutional and political dimension. The three confederations argue that the issue is not related to money, the distribution of resources or potential changes to competitions, but rather to how decisions are made within international football and the level of trust between FIFA and its 211 member associations. Pressure on Infantino is growing as UEFA, AFC and Concacaf explore new competitive alternatives and as threats of boycotting some FIFA events persist, creating a scenario in which the dispute over the model of leadership could have direct consequences for the international calendar.
The FIFA project that caused the breakdown in trust
The immediate origin of the crisis lies in FIFA’s project to create a commercial structure that would allow it to sell a stake related to the World Cup. The proposal was communicated to the organisation’s vice-presidents and its 211 member associations, but UEFA, AFC and Concacaf believe the procedure used to present it did not allow the institutions to properly assess its terms. In their open letter, the confederations described the initiative as a “judgement error” and questioned why it had been presented within such a short timeframe, without sufficiently meaningful consultation and with a deadline that, in their view, restricted the possibility of properly scrutinising the project.
The importance of this criticism lies in the fact that the confederations do not describe the episode as a simple disagreement over a commercial operation. Their argument directly targets the way authority is exercised within FIFA. For UEFA, AFC and Concacaf, a decision affecting one of the most important assets in world football required an open process and effective participation from the member associations. The three organisations therefore argue that the proposal ultimately damaged the trust of the institutions FIFA is supposed to serve. The accusation of “deception” used in the letter reflects precisely that perception: that the problem was not only what was being proposed, but also how it was pursued and the limited space, according to the confederations, given to discuss its consequences.
The leadership dispute and new competitions
The criticism also extended to FIFA’s response to the crisis. UEFA, AFC and Concacaf questioned why the review of the report that will be presented to the FIFA Council is not being carried out by a completely independent body and placed particular emphasis on a recent meeting held in Morocco. According to the confederations, the meeting brought together a selected group of members of FIFA’s Management Committee in Rabat, rather than convening the full body and moving the discussion to Zurich, the organisation’s headquarters. For the signatories, that decision reinforces concerns about transparency in the process and fuels the perception that a crisis of this institutional magnitude is being managed without the full participation of the relevant structures.
The pressure on Infantino is also part of a broader debate over the future of international football. According to information surrounding the dispute, the three confederations have begun preliminary discussions about the possibility of organising new competitions, while UEFA continues to consider boycotting certain FIFA events. The situation could even affect the upcoming FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup, amid the possibility that European teams may not participate. At the same time, speculation about potential alternatives to Infantino has intensified, with Concacaf president Victor Montagliani emerging as one of the names being considered for a possible replacement. The letter signed by Aleksander Čeferin, Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Montagliani therefore reflects a dispute involving the future of competitions, the relationship between the confederations and the very concept of leadership within FIFA.
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