Gianni Infantino disregarded a request from one of his FIFA vice presidents to refrain from attending an Under-14 soccer event in the Caribbean. Instead, he made a rare public appearance during the global uproar over his failed proposal to sell future World Cup profits to private investors.
Over the weekend, Infantino shared images on his Instagram account depicting his meeting with political and soccer officials from the Dominican Republic at a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament held at the Punta Cana resort.
The day before, Victor Montagliani, the president of CONCACAF, had advised Infantino against attending to prevent drawing attention away from the soccer matches. Montagliani expressed concerns in an email, suggesting that the media’s focus on FIFA’s governance crisis due to Infantino’s controversial proposal might overshadow the technical aspects of the CFU youth competition.
FIFA chose not to comment on Montagliani’s request but highlighted its financial support for regional bodies such as the CFU with funding of up to $5 million US per World Cup cycle.
Montagliani, along with other FIFA vice presidents, has called for ending Infantino’s presidency, labeling him as deceptive for planning to transfer FIFA’s commercial activities to external investors without transparency.
Infantino abandoned the project on August 1 following widespread backlash from soccer stakeholders and fans, coupled with criticism from his own chief operating officer, who was subsequently dismissed.
Caribbean federations are viewed as potential allies for Infantino to gain support away from CONCACAF. In contrast, CONMEBOL from South America has endorsed Infantino as the preferred route to secure more World Cup matches, advocating for an expanded 64-team format in 2030.
Infantino has refrained from addressing the public since the controversy erupted, sidestepping questions from the media. His bid for a final term as FIFA president until 2031 will be decided at the upcoming election congress in Morocco, with a November deadline for potential candidates to enter the race.