Gianni Infantino Ignores Concacaf President Plea As FIFA Power Crisis Continues

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reportedly highjacked a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) over the weekend after Concacaf president Victor Montagliani explicitly requested that he not attend the event.

According to The Guardian, Infantino took advantage of CFU’s U-14 tournament in the Dominican Republic to try and campaign for votes from member associations as he continues to make an effort to remain at the helm of FIFA.

With multiple leaders of Caribbean member associations in attendance, Infantino used his opportunity to highjack a meeting and announce imminent development projects in the region worth millions which FIFA had previously promised but had been delayed for some time now, per the report.

Infantino lobbying for votes with Caribbean member association is a calculated strategy after Concacaf, along with UEFA and AFC, released a scathing letter aimed in his direction. The governing body’s president now appear to be targeting individual member associations to try and test Concacaf’s united front against him, which already doesn’t include Mexico and Canada.

Concacaf’s opposition to Infantino is spearheaded by confederation president Montagliani, who’s been signaled as a potential successor as FIFA president—he currently also serves as FIFA vice-president. Before Infantino landed in the Dominican Republic, Montagliani requested him not to attend the even in a letter that has since been made public.

Gianni Infantino Ignores Letter From Concacaf President

Gianni Infantino, Victor Montagliani — Infantino and Montagliani were previously close allies. | Eva Marie Uzcategui/FIFA/Getty Images

On the eve of CFU’s U-14 tournament, Montagliani didn‘t mince words in a letter sent to Infantino asking him to reconsider his attendance. In the letter, Concacaf’s president detailed the reason behind his request.

“As you may be aware, your proposed attendance has garnered significant media attention,” Montagliani wrote in the letter. “I believe that considering the governance crisis at FIFA as a result of your FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, the media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of CFU’s youth competition.

“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 youth development activity.”

Infantino Disregards Letter, Celebrates FIFA Initiative in Dominican Republic

Gianni Infantino (middle) was all smiles at the Dominican Republic after getting asked not to attend the event. | Instagram (gianni_infantino)

Less than 24 hours after Montagliani’s letter asked him not to attend, Infantino landed in the Dominican Republic to take part in the weekend activities. Following the tournament and meeting between Caribbean member associations, Infantino broke his silence.

“It was a pleasure to attend the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Presidents’ Meeting in the Dominican Republic as we celebrate a period of remarkable progress for the region,” Infantino wrote on Instagram.

“We remain fully committed to our job: to grow football in every corner of the world, to give every FIFA member association in the world the opportunity and the resources they deserve. Through the FIFA Forward Programme and initiatives like the CFU U-14 Challenge Series tournaments, we continue finding and giving opportunities, access, and resources to narrow the gap and ensure every child gets a chance to play.”

According to The Guardian, Infantino met with individual member association leaders before the meeting trying to lobby for their votes. Infantino also acknowledged he was joined by Montagliani at the event and even shared a picture with him on social media.

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