FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing fresh scrutiny after the continental governing bodies of football in Europe, Asia and South America raised concerns over the world governing body's handling of a proposed World Cup stake sale.
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONMEBOL issued a joint open letter to FIFA on Monday, accusing the organisation of breaking trust through the process surrounding the proposed sale.
The three confederations called for greater transparency and an independent review of the matter, adding further pressure on Infantino and the FIFA leadership.
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“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it,” the statement said.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” it added.
Three Confederations Demand Independent Review
The joint letter called for a review of the process to be “conducted by a fully independent third party” after FIFA committed to presenting a report to the FIFA Council in October.
The confederations stressed that unity remains fundamental to football while calling on FIFA's leadership to ensure that its decisions serve the wider football community.
“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it,” the letter stated.
The latest development comes after FIFA criticised what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to “undermine the organisation and Infantino.”
The governing body has faced growing calls to safeguard the integrity of football and ensure transparency in the way major decisions are taken.
FIFA Faces Questions Over World Cup Stake Sale
The three confederations argued that the controversy goes beyond a communication problem and concerns the integrity of FIFA's decision-making process.
“This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it,” the joint letter stated.
They also criticised FIFA's recent communication to its vice-presidents and 211 member associations, which acknowledged that mistakes had been made during the process.
According to the confederations, FIFA's description of the matter as a failure of communication did not adequately address their concerns.
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“FIFA's recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment,” the letter said.
The statement further criticised what it described as a proposal advanced on a “compressed timeline”, without meaningful consultation, and pushed towards a deadline before member associations could properly examine its terms.
“It is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny,” the letter added.
With three major confederations now publicly questioning the process, pressure is mounting on Infantino and FIFA to provide greater clarity over the proposed World Cup stake sale and address concerns surrounding transparency, consultation and trust.