Gianni Infantino disregarded a request from one of his FIFA vice presidents to abstain from attending an Under-14 soccer event in the Caribbean. Instead, he made a rare public appearance during the global uproar over his failed initiative to sell future World Cup profits to private investors. Infantino shared photos on his Instagram account on Saturday, depicting his meeting with political and soccer officials from the Dominican Republic at a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament in the Punta Cana resort.
The Canadian president of CONCACAF, Victor Montagliani, had urged Infantino not to attend the event to prevent drawing attention away from the soccer matches due to the governance crisis surrounding FIFA caused by the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. Montagliani expressed concerns that media focus on Infantino’s presence would overshadow the technical aspects of the CFU youth competition.
FIFA chose not to comment on Montagliani’s request but highlighted its direct funding of regional bodies like the CFU with up to $5 million US from each four-year World Cup cycle. Montagliani, along with FIFA vice presidents Aleksander Ceferin and Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, has joined forces to push for ending Infantino’s long-standing presidency, which they claim has been marked by deception.
Infantino scrapped the FIFA Forward Enterprise project on August 1 following widespread criticism from soccer leaders and fans. His Zurich-based chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, was dismissed after openly criticizing the proposal and Infantino’s leadership style. The Caribbean member federations are viewed as potential allies for Infantino to sway away from their CONCACAF leadership, while CONMEBOL from South America has expressed support for Infantino as the preferred path to hosting an expanded 2030 World Cup.
Infantino has refrained from addressing questions publicly since the unveiling of the $20 billion FFE project on July 28. During his visit to Punta Cana, he dodged inquiries from a reporter with Sky News regarding allegations of betrayal and resignation suggestions. Infantino is gearing up for potential re-election for a final term until 2031 at the FIFA election congress scheduled for March 2023 in Rabat, Morocco, with a candidacy deadline set for November 18.
