The Union of European Football Associations, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football and the Asian Football Confederation published an open letter on Monday sharply criticizing FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The letter said football belongs to no individual.
The three confederations said there was silence where there should be accountability, and distance where there should be transparency, adding that these are not the qualities football deserves to find in its leadership. They addressed the letter to what they called the football family.
The criticism follows FIFA's withdrawal of a plan to open the World Cup to private investors. UEFA had led the pressure campaign against Infantino, and the letter shows CONCACAF and AFC now joining that effort.
FIFA's apology rejected
FIFA had presented apologies last Wednesday for the controversy caused by its plan for a commercial company, while affirming its full support for Infantino following a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco. A letter FIFA sent to its 211 member federations described the episode as a communication failure.
UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC rejected that framing. They said what football witnessed was a failure of judgment, and a fundamental breach of trust in the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.
Not about money, confederations say
The presidents and secretaries general of the three bodies wrote that the issue is not about money. They said the confederations had already called for a responsible distribution of FIFA's existing vast reserves to further strengthen investment in the development of member federations.
UEFA, which has threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments, along with CONCACAF and AFC, said they do not intend to revisit the expansion of competitions, World Cup prize money, or any other decision taken collectively. Those decisions were made together and should stand, they said.
"Trust broken by deception"
The three confederations said the matter is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it. They said that when trust is broken by deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that granted him authority, the duty of service to the football family is abandoned.
The letter comes after Norway's football federation separately called for Infantino's resignation. The dispute over FIFA's leadership is expected to continue beyond the summer of 2026.
