Gianni Infantino defies FIFA vice-president request to stay away from youth tournament amid backlash to World Cup sell off plan
Under-pressure FIFA president Gianni Infantino was asked to stay away from a youth tournament in the Caribbean after being told his presence would ‘undermine’ the event.
According to reports, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani told Infantino to reconsider attending the Caribbean Football Union’s Under-14 Series event.
The letter from Montagliani, who is also a FIFA vice-president, comes with Infantino still coming under fire over his now scrapped plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
‘The media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition,’ Montagliani wrote.
‘As such, I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity.’
Concacaf had previously joined UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation in accusing Infantino of breaking trust ‘through deception’ over the World Cup sell off plan.
Gianni Infantino was reportedly told to stay away from a youth tournament in the Caribbean
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani wrote to Infantino to ask him to ‘reconsider’ his attendance
Gianni Infantino brushed off questions from reporters about his future with a series of bald jokes when attending the event
Despite the plea, Infantino arrived in the Dominican Republic for the event, which is funded by the FIFA Forward programme. His presence is believed to have angered Concacaf nations.
Infantino was asked at the event by a Sky reporter whether he has betrayed football and why he won’t resign
‘You have a nice haircut, thank you so much. See you at the hairdressers,’ Infantino told the reporter, who is also bald.
In July, news broke Infantino was considering selling parts of the World Cup to private investors and forming a new company in a deal that could have been worth around £15billion.
The Times’ report added that Infantino could become the commissioner of that company once his role at FIFA ends in 2031, a highly lucrative position that estimates suggest could pay him more than $50million-a-year.
Infantino’s blueprint for the potential selling of stakes had been discussed among senior FIFA figures and potential investors, which could have included Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared – and they signed non-disclosure agreements.
Bank JPMorgan was said to be handling the process and the Donald Trump administration is understood to have been consulted.
Earlier this month, Infantino was given the ‘full support’ of FIFA’s top brass after summoning executives to crisis talks in Morocco.
The Swiss football administrator has since scrapped the proposals after widespread opposition – including an internal rebellion at FIFA.
Earlier this week, Kevin Lamour, the FIFA chief operating officer who broke ranks and criticised Infantino over the World Cup sell-off plan, was sacked.