Infantino Ignores FIFA Vice President’s Plea, Attends Caribbean Youth Soccer Tournament Amid Governance Crisis

FIFA President Gianni Infantino proceeded with attendance at an Under-14 soccer tournament in the Caribbean on Saturday, directly contradicting a formal request from CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani to remain absent. The Canadian official had urged Infantino to avoid the event in Punta Cana, citing concerns that his presence would overshadow the Caribbean Football Union youth competition with media scrutiny over his controversial governance decisions.

Montagliani’s Friday letter, obtained by The Associated Press, warned that Infantino’s attendance would distract from the tournament’s technical focus given the ongoing FIFA governance crisis. The CONCACAF leader specifically referenced the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, a plan to sell future World Cup commercial rights to private investors that Infantino withdrew on August 1 following widespread backlash from soccer federations and fans.

Infantino posted photographs on Instagram from Saturday showing him meeting Dominican Republic political and soccer officials at the youth tournament. The FIFA president has largely avoided public questioning since the $20 billion FFE project became public on July 28, and continued that pattern Friday when he evaded inquiries from Sky News reporter James Matthews about whether he betrayed soccer and should resign.

Montagliani has joined UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and Asian Football Confederation President Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in challenging Infantino’s 11-year presidency. The FIFA vice presidents accused the president of deception for secretly planning the commercial spinoff over the past year, with the proposal involving investor Joshua Kushner and a 20% ownership stake.

FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was terminated this week after publishing criticism of the proposal and Infantino’s leadership style to The Associated Press. The Zurich-based executive had expressed concerns hours before Infantino withdrew the FFE project entirely.

Caribbean member federations are viewed as potential allies Infantino could recruit to weaken CONCACAF opposition to his leadership. South American confederation CONMEBOL has supported Infantino as a means to secure additional games at the 2030 World Cup, which the organization seeks to expand from 48 to 64 teams.

Infantino plans to seek re-election for a fourth and final term extending through 2031 at the FIFA congress scheduled for March in Rabat, Morocco. The governing body has established November 18 as the deadline for candidates to register for the election.