Football's governing bodies are edging closer to open conflict, with Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation reportedly holding early-stage talks about staging their own tournaments should they decide to boycott Fifa-organised events.
The three confederations, which together account for more than half of Fifa's total membership, have escalated their campaign against president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of betraying the trust placed in him by football's global community. Their grievance centres on Infantino's attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors, a move they say represented a serious lapse in judgment rather than a simple communication error.
In a jointly signed open letter, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, Concacaf's Victor Montagliani and the AFC's Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa demanded an independent inquiry into the affair, arguing that Fifa cannot be relied upon to investigate its own conduct. They framed the dispute as a battle for the very integrity of the sport, describing it as a moment of crisis within football's governance structures.
The letter was pointed in its criticism of how the World Cup investment proposal was handled. The three leaders wrote that the plan had been pushed forward on a rushed timetable, without proper consultation, and toward a deadline that prevented member associations from scrutinising its terms. They argued this was not accidental but rather "the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny."
They further criticised Fifa's own explanation of events, noting that a recent leadership meeting held in Morocco included only members of Fifa's management committee — staff employed by the organisation — rather than elected officials from the wider football family. According to the letter, no Fifa council members or representatives from national associations were present, a detail the confederation heads said deepened their concerns about transparency.
"It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him," the trio wrote, adding that there was "silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness."
The statement also emphasised that leadership in football should be viewed as a duty rather than an entitlement. "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 letter read, going on to state that "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 confederations are understood to be hoping that mounting pressure will persuade Infantino to step aside rather than pursue a third full term as Fifa president. However, the governing body's leadership retains significant support elsewhere in the football world. National associations including those of Argentina, Morocco and Mexico have publicly backed Infantino, while the entire African Football Confederation has thrown its unanimous support behind him.
Fifa responded to the growing dissent with a statement released on Saturday, saying: "It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president."
The dispute marks one of the most serious internal rifts football's governing structures have faced in years, with the possibility of rival competitions raising the prospect of a genuine split between some of the sport's most powerful regional bodies and its global governing body. How the standoff resolves could have lasting implications for the organisation of major international tournaments going forward.
Based on reporting from The Independent.