Gianni Infantino Broke Trust Through Deception Uefa Afc And Conmebol Raise Further Heat Launch Tirade Against Fifa

The troubles continue to mount for FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino. On Monday, the continental governing bodies of the sport in Europe (UEFA), Asia (AFC), and Central America (CONMEBOL) issued an open letter to the world body, lambasting the body for repeatedly breaking trust over its proposed World Cup stake sale. The latest letter has been signed by the presidents and the general secretaries of the above-mentioned bodies, and it was made clear that Infantino tried to tamper with the "integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it".

The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal would have created a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and would have sold a 21 per cent stake to a private investment company.

However, the constant scrutiny from UEFA, AFC and CONMEBOL led FIFA to scrap the plan. The latest joint statement from the bodies did not name Infantino, but it was clear the jabs were directed at him, as trust between FIFA and the continental governing bodies has broken down.

“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it," the statement said.

"When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned," the letter added.

The joint letter also called for a review to be "conducted by a fully independent third party" after FIFA committed to present a report to the FIFA Council in October.

“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it," the letter said.

This latest statement comes in the aftermath of FIFA's comments, where the body criticised a "concerted and ongoing effort" to "undermine the organisation and Infantino. FIFA has been called upon to safeguard the integrity of the sport and ensure its sanctity.

“This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it,” the joint letter stated.

"FIFA's recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment. A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms, is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny," it added.

These latest comments from the three continental bodies have renewed scrutiny of Infantino, and it's becoming increasingly concerning for him to secure yet another term at the helm of FIFA. Infantino wants to keep his post as the President, but he's struggling to get votes from member associations.

Infantino also faced heat over how the World Cup went ahead in the US, and he faced a lot of criticism after the US player Folarin Balogun's red card was reversed at the request of US President Donald Trump.

Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More