Football confederations criticize FIFA President Infantino over commercial rights plan

European football governing body UEFA, along with CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has publicly criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In a joint statement released Monday, the organizations declared that Infantino had betrayed the trust placed in him through a now-abandoned proposal to sell a portion of the World Cup's commercial rights.

The statement, issued by the governing bodies for European, North American, Central American, Caribbean, and Asian football, asserted that Infantino had "placed himself above the collective" with his initiative to create a new entity responsible for organizing FIFA competitions. This move has apparently caused significant friction among the confederations.

Expressing their dissatisfaction, the three confederations are demanding an independent investigation into the events that transpired. They also issued a strong call for the "unity of football" to be upheld and respected moving forward. The statement concluded with an appeal for leaders to "serve football rather than seek to dominate it."

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we call for this unity to be respected from now on and for leaders to serve football rather than seek to dominate it.