Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been tasked by Concacaf president Victor Montagliani to refrain from attending a youth football tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend, according to a letter received by the BBC. This request follows a recent dispute concerning Fifa’s governance crisis, which Montagliani describes as ‘undermining the technical nature of the CFU Under-14 Series event.’
In a letter, Montagliani, who is also a Fifa vice-president, explicitly asks Infantino to reconsider his attendance, citing concerns that his presence would ‘unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity.’
The Canadian, a Fifa guest, further emphasizes that the invitation to attend is believed to have been issued prior to the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which has placed Infantino under threat of his position within the governing body.
Infantino was invited to the Caribbean nation, though the invitation is believed to have been issued prior to his controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which has left his position under threat. Concacaf nations have expressed strong support for Infantino, with several backing him to remain as Fifa president for a fourth term.
In a statement released by Dominican Republic’s minister of sports and recreation, Kelvin Cruz, the country’s authorities expressed their appreciation for Infantino’s visit, noting that his presence represents ‘significant international football interest and opportunities for Dominican football development.’
The tournament is one of a number of development projects funded by FIFA through its Fifa Forward programme, aimed at enhancing youth football across the globe. Infantino has faced considerable criticism over his attempts to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors through his scrapped FFE proposal. UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation have also voiced concerns regarding Infantino’s actions, with several football associations withdrawing their support for the Swiss-Italian administrator.
Fifa has also criticized Infantino’s campaign to oust him from the presidency, deeming it ‘deeply troubling.’
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Source: BBC Football
