UEFA blasts FIFA 'deception' as Infantino crisis deepens

Three confederations sign fresh letter accusing FIFA of 'deception'

UEFA, CONMEBOL and the Asian Football Confederation have signed a new open letter to the "football family," accusing FIFA's leadership of a fundamental breach of trust over Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup.

The three-page letter, published Monday, stops short of naming Infantino directly but refers to a leader who broke trust "through deception" and abandoned their duty. It rejects FIFA's earlier description of the stake-sale plan as a mistake, calling it instead a "profound failure of judgment."

What the plan involved

Infantino had proposed creating a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to run the commercial and operational side of FIFA's tournaments, with roughly a fifth of it sold to private investors in a deal reported to be worth around $4.2bn. Investors said to be in talks included JPMorgan and Thrive Capital, the firm run by Joshua Kushner. The plan was dropped earlier this month after UEFA, CONMEBOL and the AFC rejected it.

Boycott threat still stands

UEFA went further than its fellow confederations at the time, threatening a boycott of FIFA competitions over the affair, and confirmed last week that the threat remains in place while Infantino stays in his post. The letter also criticised a FIFA management committee meeting held in Morocco last week that ended in a statement publicly backing Infantino, arguing it should instead have addressed the federation's wider leadership at its Zurich base.

A separate allegation over a UEFA payment

The letter lands days after UEFA confirmed it made a departure payment to a former female employee said to have been in a relationship with Infantino during his time as the confederation's general secretary, a post he held between 2009 and 2016. The Daily Telegraph reported the payment ran to six figures and also covered the cost of an MBA course. UEFA said the arrangement was in line with staff regulations at the time, which it says have since been tightened.

FIFA and Infantino push back

FIFA has strongly denied wrongdoing, describing the reporting as part of a concerted effort by some to undermine the organisation and its president. A FIFA spokesperson said Infantino "strongly denies these categorically untrue allegations." Infantino faces re-election as FIFA president next March. Norway's football federation has called for him to step down, and the English FA has withdrawn its support for his re-election bid.