Fifa president Gianni Infantino has restructured the governing body's management of Caribbean football associations, separating them from the wider Concacaf confederation in a decision his critics say is designed to weaken opposition to his continued presidency.
Concacaf, which governs football across North and Central America along with the Caribbean, had previously been treated as a single administrative bloc. According to reporting by the Guardian, Fifa has now handed oversight of the 21 Caribbean-based member associations to Gelson Fernandes, a former Switzerland international and known Infantino ally, who already served as director of member associations for Africa.
Fernandes, who had spells at clubs including Manchester City and Leicester during his playing career, joined Fifa's administration in 2022 and was elevated in 2024 to deputy chief members associations officer, working alongside Elkhan Mammadov, the organization's chief members associations officer and a figure closely tied to Infantino. Fernandes now takes over Caribbean duties from Jair Bertoni, with national federations and Concacaf itself reportedly informed of the switch only last week and without any consultation process.
Fifa defended the reshuffle in an official statement, framing it as part of Infantino's broader development agenda.