FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under renewed criticism. The three confederations – UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC – have said in a joint letter that football “is not the property of any individual.”
“Leadership in football is not property. It is not about holding power or demanding to hold it,” the joint letter said.
“When trust is broken through deceit, when an individual places himself above the team that has delegated him, he has abdicated his responsibility,” the confederations added.
FIFA had presented a new initiative in late July that proposed creating a commercial entity, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), and selling its shares to private investors. However, the initiative has faced stiff resistance.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) described it as a “backstage and non-transparent deal” and stated that it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership. The project was also criticized by a number of national federations and continental confederations.
After a wave of criticism, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that he was abandoning the initiative. However, the scandal continued: both representatives of football institutions and former players, including former world football’s best player Luis Figo, demanded his resignation.