US, Canada Back FIFA Governance Reform Amid Pressure on President Infantino
Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Football federations of the US and Canada have joined confederations criticizing FIFA President Gianni Infantino's governance.
- Their joint statement calls for improved transparency and accountability within FIFA.
- This stance puts the 2026 World Cup co-hosts at odds with Mexico, which supports Infantino, amid pressure over his leadership plans.
The football federations of the United States and Canada have publicly backed a statement from three major confederations criticizing FIFA President Gianni Infantino and calling for significant governance reforms. This move places the two co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup in direct opposition to the Mexican Football Federation, which continues to support Infantino.
In a joint statement posted on X, US Soccer and Canada Soccer declared their solidarity with "colleagues around the world" in demanding "meaningful change that strengthens FIFA's governance, transparency, and accountability." They shared links to the original statement issued by UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
US Soccer, Canada Soccer, the CFU (Caribbean Football Union), and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) stand together, alongside our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA's governance, transparency, and accountability.
The confederations' statement implicitly criticized Infantino's leadership, asserting that "Leadership in football is not about ownership. Leadership is not about holding or demanding power for oneself. Football does not belong to any single individual." This sentiment underscores growing concerns about Infantino's management style and his plans for FIFA's commercial future.
Leadership in football is not about ownership. Leadership is not about holding or demanding power for oneself. Football does not belong to any single individual.
Pressure on Infantino has intensified following scrutiny of his proposal to secure private investment through a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). Although he previously scrapped the plan amid controversy, FIFA recently responded to criticism by alleging a "coordinated and sustained effort by certain parties to undermine" the organization and its president.
The joint stance by the US and Canada signals a significant challenge to Infantino's authority as global football bodies increasingly demand greater transparency and accountability within FIFA's operations.
a coordinated and sustained effort by certain parties to undermine both the organization and Infantino.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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