UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC condemn FIFA president's World Cup stake plan

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation released a joint open letter on Monday accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of violating the trust of the sport’s governing bodies by proposing to sell an interest in the World Cup to private-equity investors. The letter, signed by the presidents of the three confederations and three general secretaries, said the plan represented a "fundamental breach of trust" and a failure of judgment.

"Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the member associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future," the statement read.

The confederations warned that when trust is broken through deception, an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, the duty is abandoned. They added that such conduct is not suitable for football leadership and called for unity that honors the sport’s collective interests.

FIFA previously apologized for the failed stake-sale plan and said senior staff at a crisis meeting in Morocco reaffirmed support for Infantino’s presidency, though the letter criticized the meeting for excluding elected officials and member associations. The confederations urged FIFA to go beyond acknowledging mistakes and to recognize the proposal as a profound failure of judgment.

The dispute follows similar criticism from national associations, including Norway’s federation and the English FA, which have called for Infantino’s resignation or withdrawn support for his re-election. FIFA responded on Saturday, describing the criticism as a coordinated effort to undermine its leader.

Separately, UEFA confirmed a departure payment to a former staff member who had worked with Infantino at UEFA, stating the payment complied with regulations at the time.