Gianni Infantino chose to disregard a suggestion from one of his FIFA vice presidents to refrain from attending an Under-14 soccer event in the Caribbean. Instead, he opted to make a rare public appearance amidst the global uproar following his failed attempt to offer future World Cup profits to private investors.
Infantino recently shared images on his Instagram account, showcasing his meetings with political and soccer dignitaries from the Dominican Republic during a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament held at the Punta Cana resort. The decision to attend the event came after Victor Montagliani, the president of CONCACAF, advised him not to go in order to prevent any distractions from the soccer matches.
Montagliani expressed concerns in an email, stating that the media attention surrounding FIFA’s governance crisis due to the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal might overshadow the technical aspects of the CFU youth competition. He urged Infantino to reconsider his attendance to ensure the focus remains on the youth development activity.
Despite Montagliani’s request, FIFA chose not to comment on the matter, emphasizing its financial support to regional bodies like the CFU. Montagliani, together with other FIFA vice presidents, including Aleksander Ceferin and Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, have been advocating for the end of Infantino’s presidency, citing accusations of deception related to the plan to involve private investors in FIFA’s commercial activities.
Infantino scrapped the project on August 1 following widespread criticism from soccer stakeholders and fans. The FIFA leader has been evading public inquiries since the unveiling of the $20 billion FFE project, with his latest interaction involving a reporter from Sky News during the recent event in Punta Cana.
Infantino is aiming for re-election for a final term extending to 2031 at the upcoming FIFA election congress in Rabat, Morocco. The deadline for potential candidates to enter the race has been set for November 18.