Concacaf chief asks Infantino to skip youth tournament
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to reconsider attending a U-14 youth tournament in the Dominican Republic, citing Fifa's governance crisis. Infantino's position has come under threat following his controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.
Concacaf president and Fifa vice-president Victor Montagliani has written to Fifa president Gianni Infantino asking him to reconsider attending the CFU Under-14 Series tournament taking place this weekend in the Dominican Republic. In the letter, seen by the BBC, Montagliani referenced the ongoing governance crisis at Fifa and warned that Infantino's presence would draw attention away from the tournament's development purpose.
Montagliani argued that media coverage would inevitably focus on the controversy surrounding Infantino rather than the youth players and coaches taking part, and he respectfully asked, in the name of football, that Infantino reconsider his attendance.
Invitation predates controversy
Infantino was originally invited as a guest of the Dominican Republic, though the invitation is believed to have been issued before his contested Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal emerged. Despite the request, Infantino received a warm welcome on arrival, and several Concacaf member nations have expressed support for him to serve a fourth term as Fifa president. Dominican Republic's minister of sports and recreation, Kelvin Cruz, thanked Infantino for the visit, saying it raises the country's international football profile and opens opportunities for the sport's growth.
The tournament is one of several youth development projects funded through Fifa's Forward programme.
Mounting criticism
Infantino has faced sustained criticism over the now-abandoned FFE proposal, which sought to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. Several football associations have withdrawn their backing for him, and Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation jointly accused him of breaking trust through deception in an open letter. Fifa's dismissal of senior executive Kevin Lamour, after he criticised Infantino, has also drawn criticism. Nonetheless, Infantino continues to have the backing of South American governing body Conmebol and African governing body Caf.
