AUGUST 10, 2026
UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC accuse FIFA and Infantino of 'deception' and 'breach of trust' over World Cup privatization plan
Three major soccer confederations — UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) — published an open letter Monday accusing FIFA of "deception" and a "fundamental breach of trust" over its handling of a now-scrapped proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. The letter was co-signed by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, and three general secretaries. FIFA had previously acknowledged errors in the rollout of the proposal and apologized, but has continued to defend President Gianni Infantino.
The open letter, addressed to "the football family," stated that "when trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned." The three confederations said they took their stance "not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve."
The letter centered on the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal — a plan to sell a portion of FIFA's commercial and operational rights in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. FIFA abandoned the proposal and, according to both CNN and the Associated Press, apologized for the manner in which it was introduced to members. The three confederations argued, however, that FIFA's acknowledgment fell short: "It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment," the letter stated, as reported by the AP.
The confederations also criticized the nature of a crisis meeting FIFA held in Morocco last Wednesday, at which senior staff "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino's presidency. The open letter noted that "only one elected official was present" and that "no FIFA Council members or Member Associations were invited to participate" — only FIFA-employed senior management, according to the AP.