Gianni Infantino disregarded a request from one of his FIFA vice presidents to abstain from attending an Under-14 soccer tournament in the Caribbean. Instead, he made a rare public appearance amidst the global controversy surrounding his failed initiative to privatize future World Cup revenues.
Posting images on his Instagram account, Infantino was seen engaging with political and soccer figures from the Dominican Republic at a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth competition in Punta Cana. Prior to this, Victor Montagliani, the Canadian head of CONCACAF, advised Infantino against attending to prevent overshadowing the soccer matches amid the FIFA governance crisis stemming from his contentious FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
Montagliani expressed concern that media focus on Infantino’s controversial plan would detract from the technical aspects of the CFU youth tournament. FIFA refrained from commenting on Montagliani’s request but highlighted its financial support to regional bodies like CFU during each World Cup cycle.
Montagliani, alongside other FIFA vice presidents, including Aleksander Ceferin from UEFA and AFC president Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, have called for the end of Infantino’s presidency, accusing him of deceptive conduct in planning to transfer FIFA’s lucrative commercial activities to external investors.
Infantino withdrew the initiative on August 1 following widespread backlash, including criticism from his own COO, Kevin Lamour, who was subsequently dismissed. Caribbean federations are viewed as potential allies for Infantino within CONCACAF, while CONMEBOL from South America has endorsed him as a means to secure more slots for the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino has avoided public questioning since the unveiling of the $20 billion project on July 28 and sidestepped inquiries from a Sky News reporter during his recent appearance in Punta Cana. Amidst speculations about his re-election bid for a final term until 2031, FIFA has set a deadline for potential candidates to join the electoral race before the congress in Rabat, Morocco, scheduled for March next year.