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Gianni Infantino suffers new FIFA low as he's told not to attend tournament

Daily Express · Charlie Malam · 2026-08-22T11:41:11+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Gianni Infantino suffers new FIFA humiliation as he's ordered not to attend tournament Gianni Infantino has suffered more humiliation as he tries to win support to stay on as FIFA president. Gianni Infantino has suffered a new low after being told to stay away from a youth tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend. The FIFA president was informed via a letter from the Caribbean Football Union that his presence would "undermine" the under-14s matches on the island. Infantino was invited to the tournament before the region's officials learned about his plans to sell off part of FIFA to private investors. The plan to invite private investment in a spin-off company to run FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups, sparked huge backlash and has caused widening divisions within world football's governing body. And per Sky News, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani wrote to Infantino on Friday to say the drama engulfing him and the media focus "will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition." He added: "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." Infantino was hoping to use the event in the Dominican Republic to shore up support among CONCACAF's Caribbean nations. Some have already publicly expressed their support, such as St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda. CONCACAF president Montagliani is viewed by many as a potential challenger for the FIFA presidency. Infantino announced on August 1 that the World Cup private investment plan had been withdrawn but fan groups worldwide have launched a petition calling for the president to resign. Three continental confederations accused Infantino of "deception" last week in an open letter, citing the secretive way the plan was devised and presented. And European football's governing body UEFA say they intend to boycott FIFA events having "lost confidence" in Infantino’s leadership. The Swiss, 56, does still retain support in Africa and South America but now there is even more support for his resignation. Fans' organisations have called on him to step down, launching a petition on the Change.org website. EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page A statement on behalf of the fan organisations read: "The shameful attempt by one individual – the FIFA president himself – to sell off the World Cup to private investors exposed a betrayal football will never forget. "Infantino's plan was stitched together in secret. Negotiated behind closed doors. Hidden from FIFA's own members and from the millions of people whose passion makes football what it is. "A president who repeatedly betrays football and makes a mockery of our game has lost the right to lead it. For the credibility of FIFA – and for the future of the game – he must resign." Individual fans are being encouraged to sign the petition, which already has support across all six FIFA confederations spanning continental and national fan groups. Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), told the Press Association: "The departure of Gianni Infantino is a first and a must, but that can only have a positive impact if it’s followed by some reform of the office and of governance. "If a man can concentrate so many powers then the governance of FIFA is not fit for purpose. (FIFA) needs to start from scratch. All the reforms from 2016 have been erased or made irrelevant by Infantino. "I think we need to be as open-minded as possible on the future of football governance and there are other models outside of football, outside of sport, that need to be looked into – the idea of rotating presidencies seems interesting."