Gianni Infantino went against a suggestion from a FIFA vice president to steer clear of an Under-14 soccer event in the Caribbean. Instead, he appeared publicly during the uproar over his failed attempt to sell future World Cup profits to private investors. Infantino shared images on his Instagram account on Saturday, showcasing his interactions with political and soccer figures from the Dominican Republic at a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament in the Punta Cana resort.
The Canadian president of CONCACAF, Victor Montagliani, had advised Infantino not to attend the event to prevent drawing attention away from the soccer matches due to the governance crisis surrounding FIFA caused by Infantino’s controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. Montagliani expressed concerns in an email, suggesting that media focus on Infantino’s situation would overshadow the technical aspects of the CFU youth competition.
FIFA did not provide a comment on Montagliani’s request but mentioned its direct funding of regional bodies like the CFU with up to $5 million from each World Cup cycle. Montagliani, along with other FIFA vice presidents, including Aleksander Ceferin from UEFA and AFC president Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, is pushing to end Infantino’s presidency, accusing him of deception in planning to transfer FIFA’s commercial activities to outside investors.
Infantino scrapped the controversial project on August 1 following global criticism from soccer leaders and fans. His COO, Kevin Lamour, who had criticized the proposal and Infantino’s leadership style, was dismissed. Caribbean federations are seen as potential allies for Infantino against CONCACAF leadership, while CONMEBOL supports him for potential opportunities to host more matches at the expanded 2030 World Cup.
Infantino has avoided public questioning since the FFE project was exposed on July 28. At the event in Punta Cana, he sidestepped a Sky News reporter’s inquiry about resigning, opting for lighthearted banter instead. Infantino is eyeing re-election for a final term until 2031 at the FIFA election congress in Rabat, Morocco, with a deadline of November 18 for potential candidates to enter the race.