UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF slam FIFA President Infantino over World Cup stake sale

[p]Infantino has been the butt of scathing criticism ever since launching, and then withdrawing within days, a plan to bring in private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cups.[/p][p]FIFA had hit back on Saturday at [b]"a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine"[/b] football's governing body and Infantino.[/p][p]However, Monday's letter from the governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC), showed his critics are unbowed.[/p][p][b]"Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding - or demanding - power to be held,"[/b] they wrote.[/p][p][b]"When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned," [/b]the confederations added.[/p][embed guid="e7363ee7-5890-4452-8664-d51554a36c99" url="https://x.com/footballontnt/status/2086734513812418920" social-type="twitter" /][p]The three confederations had been vociferous in their condemnation of Infantino's plan and had not let up after it was shelved.[/p][p][b]CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a potential challenger to Infantino, who will seek a fourth and final term at the FIFA presidential election in Rabat next March.[/b][/p][p]Candidates have to be declared by November 18.[/p][p]UEFA's threat to boycott World Cups if the private investment plan went ahead - in theory depriving the competition of teams including reigning men's champions Spain and 2026 semi-finalists France and England - proved pivotal in Infantino withdrawing his plan.[/p][p]Prior to this debacle Infantino had looked likely to be unopposed, after overseeing a successful World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.[/p][p][b]The 56-year-old Swiss, who has been in situ for 10 years, has received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) while South American governing body CONMEBOL are largely supportive.[/b][/p][p]The confederations do not vote as blocs and there have been some supportive voices for Infantino from CONCACAF, Mexico, and two AFC members - Kuwait and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, where he has a house.[/p][p]Although the proposal has been dead in the water for over a week now - UEFA had termed it "a shabby, opaque, backroom deal" - the confederations harangued him for a lack of judgment.[/p][p][b]"FIFA's recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process,"[/b] they said.[/p][p][b]"It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment."[/b][/p][embed guid="0e2341ce-9824-465b-90ed-d99197847c61" url="https://x.com/MiguelDelaney/status/2086733441370919239" social-type="twitter" /][h2]'Accountability'[/h2][p]Although Infantino had received the "full support" of senior FIFA directors last week in an emergency meeting he called in Morocco, the confederations said it was meaningless.[/p][p][b]"This recent meeting, where a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee - not the full Committee - were summoned abroad, rather than leadership going to Zurich to address the heart of FIFA, its staff, only reinforces these concerns and represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment,"[/b] they said.[/p][p][b]"It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him."[/b][/p][p]Infantino had been basking in the afterglow of a hugely successful World Cup - the largest ever involving 48 teams.[/p][p]However, the confederations made clear in the letter that it was not just Infantino who had made this possible.[/p][p][b]"The growth over the past decade has been real,"[/b] they said. [b]"But that progress was never the work of one individual.[/b][/p][p][b]"It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game.[/b][/p][p][b]"The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together."[/b][/p][p]The confederations signed off their letter by claiming that under Infantino's leadership "there is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness".[/p][p]They added: [b]"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."[/b][/p]