Fifa president Gianni Infantino has stirred controversy among Concacaf member nations after showing up uninvited at a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) gathering in the Dominican Republic, where he unveiled Fifa-backed development funding that had reportedly been stalled for months.
According to multiple people present at the Punta Cana meeting, the move left many Concacaf delegates frustrated, especially given that Concacaf president Victor Montagliani had explicitly requested Infantino not attend. In a letter sent Friday, Montagliani reportedly urged the Fifa chief to reconsider his presence, warning that it risked overshadowing a regional under-14 tournament running alongside the CFU session.
Despite that appeal, Infantino arrived at the resort with a substantial Fifa delegation, including secretary general Mattias Grafström and Elkhan Mammadov, the organization's director of member associations known for cultivating ties with national federations. Before the funding announcements were made public, Fifa representatives are said to have privately lobbied individual member associations for backing, an approach that has reportedly unsettled some within the confederation.
The episode comes amid an escalating standoff between Infantino and a coalition of confederations pushing for his resignation following backlash over the handling of World Cup ticket and hospitality sales. Uefa and the Asian Football Confederation have joined Concacaf in that call, and observers suggest Infantino may have viewed the CFU meeting as a chance to peel away support from Caribbean nations ahead of upcoming leadership elections.
The standoff mirrors grievances aired earlier this month by Jordan's football federation. Its president, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, accused Infantino of withholding prize money owed from last year's Arab Cup, alleging the funds were tied to the country's refusal to publicly back his re-election bid — an accusation he characterized as bribery.
Insiders at the CFU meeting suggested Fifa's delegation sought to frame the broader governance dispute as merely a personal disagreement between Infantino and Montagliani rather than a wider institutional revolt. Montagliani, a Canadian businessman who has been mentioned in European circles as a potential successor to Infantino, has not issued public remarks since details of the so-called Fifa Forward Enterprise plan came to light.
Despite the tension, the two men were seen shaking hands briefly before the session began, a moment captured by Infantino's own media team and later shared on his personal Instagram account.
The visit appears to have deepened existing divisions within Concacaf. While the majority of the confederation's 41 members are believed to remain aligned with Montagliani and his ties to Uefa, a handful of nations — including Mexico, Grenada, and St Kitts and Nevis — have already broken ranks to publicly declare support for Infantino's continued leadership.
The rift extends beyond the question of Fifa's presidency. Uefa and Concacaf have reportedly been in discussions about launching a joint Nations League competition by 2028, a project that could eventually evolve into a broader global tournament format, further signaling the growing alliance between the two confederations as they push back against Infantino's administration.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.