U.S. Soccer, Canada and regional federations call for FIFA governance reforms

The U.S. Soccer Federation joined Canada Soccer and several Central American and Caribbean federations in a joint statement on Monday urging meaningful changes to FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability. The declaration, signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three regional confederations, expressed that “trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”

While not naming FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly, the language was widely interpreted as a call for his resignation. The statement also criticized a proposed plan to privatise the World Cup by creating a non-profit entity and selling shares to investors, describing the proposal as a “fundamental breach of trust.”

The communiqué referenced a recent FIFA crisis meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, rather than at the organization’s headquarters in Zurich, noting that key officials such as chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, chief football officer Jill Ellis and former coach Arsène Wenger were absent. The criticism comes amid broader dissent from European, Asian and some CONCACAF members, although the South American and African confederations have continued to support Infantino. Mexico’s federation has also publicly backed the president, standing apart from the rest of the region.

The statement highlighted two pending issues: the possibility of a challenger to Infantino in the upcoming FIFA presidential election, with CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani mentioned as a potential candidate, and UEFA’s threat to boycott FIFA competitions unless assurances are provided that similar governance disputes will not recur. The situation raises questions about the upcoming under-20 World Cup in Poland and the 2031 Women’s World Cup hosting plan involving the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica.