KNVB joins UEFA and declares 'fundamental breach of trust' in FIFA president Infantino

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/uefa-declare-a-loss-of-confidence-in-infantino-and-vow-to-take-action/jm2YJCSg/"]Infantino and FIFA announced on Saturday morning[/a] that the proposal for the '[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/soccer-world-championship-fifa-president-infantino-planning-to-sell-shares-in-world-cup-to-private-investors/roDBXhDT/"]FIFA Forward Enterprise[/a]' would be withdrawn after receiving widespread backlash. The $20-billion-valued subsidiary would've held a 20% stake in the FIFA World Cup and run the organisation and profits of the tournament, with Infantino chairing the company.[/p][p]AFC and CONCACAF announced on Friday that they'd reject FIFA's proposal, one day after UEFA announced a total boycott of all FIFA tournaments as long as the proposal was on the table.[/p][p]Following FIFA's decision to rescind the proposal, UEFA put out a statement in support of the decision, while also opening the attack on president Gianni Infantino, who it said "has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family" and that the "shabby, back room, opaque deal he (Infantino) hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent."[/p][h2]'Fundamental  breach of trust'[/h2][p]On Saturday, after FIFA's announcement, the KNVB put out a statement in support of UEFA's standpoint, supporting the decision to rescind the proposal, but opening fire on Infantino at the same time.[/p][p][b]"From the outset, we – together with UEFA and the other European associations – have made it clear that both the content of the proposal and the way in which it was drawn up were unacceptable to us," [/b]the statement read.[/p][image alt="KNVB president Frank Paauw (R) standing next to FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the 2026 FIFA World Cup" id="2927cc31-5575-433e-8a0b-e790ad277230" credit-line="Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP" guid="d0cae55f-0cea-44dd-be45-8dccb7e93ef3" original-width="3940" original-height="2708" /][p][b]"The withdrawal of the proposal does not mean the matter is settled for the KNVB. The way in which this process has unfolded has led to a fundamental breach of trust in the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The KNVB no longer has confidence in his leadership.[/b][/p][p][b]"This is evident not only from the concerns expressed by associations worldwide, but also from the criticism and concerns within the FIFA organisation itself. This situation calls for a serious discussion about the future of governance and leadership within FIFA."[/b][/p][p]President Frank Paauw and Secretary General Gijs de Jong were present at Thursday's emergency UEFA meeting on behalf of the KNVB, one of the founding members of FIFA.[/p][p]Following the meeting, Paauw told NOS that Infantino had "overplayed his hand," but refused to say anything about the president's future.[/p][p][b]"This outcome highlights how important it is that decisions regarding the future of international football are taken in a transparent manner and in close consultation with all parties involved,"[/b] the statement continued.[/p][p][b]"The KNVB remains committed, together with UEFA and football associations worldwide, to good governance and a strong international football movement, in which the interests of the sport always come first."[/b][/p][embed guid="43a4dc23-ff9b-4178-a366-b38552f36d47" url="https://x.com/KNVB/status/2083493333104484857?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]