"Dear President": "Chiqui" Tapia expresses support for Infantino's FIFA management

Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), has penned a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, offering his "unconditional support" and commending the leader's decade-long management of the international football body.

The AFA's endorsement comes as Infantino faces criticism and a loss of backing over a failed World Cup privatization project. In the letter, Tapia lauded Infantino's tenure, emphasizing the development of football worldwide and the establishment of clear, stable, and transparent institutional governance.

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On behalf of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), and its Executive Committee, we address you dear President, and through your worthy intermediary to the FIFA board, to express our support for the management carried out during the last 10 years, which had as its main axes the development of football throughout the world and institutional solidity based on a clear, stable and transparent governance model.

Tapia specifically praised FIFA's decision to retract the World Cup privatization plan, which he stated generated "more uncertainties than certainties" within the football community. He also acknowledged FIFA's apology to its 211 member federations, calling it a "meaningful message" that prioritizes governance for strengthening relationships.

"In consequence, by virtue of the proximity of the next FIFA Congress, the Association I proudly chair firmly believes and reaffirms that the path is to continue working under your leadership, in order to continue developing better and even more inclusive football," Tapia concluded in the missive.

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In consequence, by virtue of the proximity of the next FIFA Congress, the Association I proudly chair firmly believes and reaffirms that the path is to continue working under your leadership, in order to continue developing better and even more inclusive football.