"Infantino, is this your football?" Europe, Asia, and North/Central America confederations demand resignation... 'Privatization of the World Cup' backfires, presidency in jeopardy

*This content was translated by AI.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have officially called for the resignation of Gianni Infantino (56), president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) recently pushed to establish a subsidiary dedicated solely to operating World Cup tournaments and selling broadcasting rights and sponsorships, named 'FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE).' The plan was to sell about 20% of FIFA's shares to private entities to raise $4.2 billion (approximately 6 trillion 13.9 billion won). However, it emerged that a fund linked to a close aide of U.S. President Donald Trump had become a key investor, and the project was pushed forward unilaterally without even internal discussions, sparking fierce backlash from the global football community. Ultimately, the plan was completely withdrawn.

According to reports on the 11th (Korea time) by outlets such as The Guardian in the UK, Alexander Čeferin, UEFA president, and other leaders of the three continental Yeon Maeng (Chairman) confederations issued a joint statement strongly criticizing In Pan-ti-no (Chairman). In an open letter, they stated directly that "leadership in football is not the property of any individual and cannot be used as a means to maintain power."

They also pointed out that "FIFA attempts to downplay this incident as mere lack of communication or procedural errors, but this was an intentional plan aimed at limiting verification and oversight." They added, "At a time when accountability and transparency are needed, maintaining silence and distance is not a virtue of a leader."

The three confederations demanded a thorough investigation by a completely independent third-party institutional investor regarding the attempt to sell shares.

As Infantino's position, once considered highly likely to be re-elected, has been significantly shaken, foreign media have predicted that Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF who led this critical statement, among others, as a strong contender for the next presidency.

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*This content was translated by AI.