FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under renewed pressure after the presidents and general secretaries of three major football confederations accused FIFA leadership of damaging trust through what they described as deceptive conduct.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issued a joint open letter addressing the controversy surrounding the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
The organisations said the dispute was not simply about the commercial proposal itself but raised wider questions about the integrity of football's governing structures and the responsibilities of those elected to lead the sport.
Controversial FIFA Commercial Proposal
The FIFA Forward Enterprise plan would have involved establishing a new company to oversee the commercial and ticketing rights associated with FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups.
Under the proposal, a 21% stake in the new company would have been sold to a private investment firm.
The plan faced strong opposition from several football confederations, particularly UEFA, and was eventually abandoned following widespread criticism.
UEFA has also previously warned that it could consider boycotting FIFA competitions if concerns surrounding the proposal and FIFA's governance were not addressed.
In their letter, the three confederations argued that leadership within football should be viewed as a responsibility rather than a means of retaining personal authority.
“When trust is broken through deception,” the letter stated, leadership responsibilities have effectively been abandoned.
Although Infantino was not directly named in the statement, sources cited by BBC Sport said the letter could be interpreted as an indication that the FIFA president should consider stepping down.
Dispute Over FIFA Meeting in Morocco
The latest criticism follows a meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, last Wednesday.
According to the three confederations, FIFA Council members and national football associations were excluded from the meeting, while senior FIFA employees were invited instead.
The organisations also criticised FIFA's subsequent response to the controversy, arguing that acknowledging mistakes in the FFE process did not adequately address the deeper concerns.
The confederations said the commercial proposal itself was fundamentally flawed and described the attempt to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup as a serious error of judgement.
They argued that the issue went beyond an administrative or procedural mistake and represented a significant breakdown of trust between FIFA and the football organisations it is responsible for serving.
Calls for an Independent Review
FIFA has said it will prepare a report on the FFE process for consideration at the next FIFA Council meeting, which is expected to take place in October.
However, UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation said an internal review would not be sufficient.
The three organisations called for an independent third-party investigation, arguing that the seriousness of the situation required a review conducted without FIFA's direct involvement.
They also reiterated concerns about the handling and preservation of documents related to the proposal.
The letter referenced a previous legal warning from UEFA calling on FIFA not to delete, destroy or otherwise dispose of records connected to the FFE plans.
FIFA Defends Its Leadership
The latest statement comes shortly after FIFA issued its own response, accusing what it described as a coordinated and continuing campaign aimed at undermining the organisation and its president.
The dispute has created one of the most significant recent tensions between FIFA's leadership and several of its regional confederations.
With the FIFA Council expected to discuss the matter later this year, pressure is likely to remain on the organisation to provide greater transparency over the abandoned commercial proposal and explain how the plans were developed.
The controversy also raises broader questions about governance, accountability and the balance of power between FIFA and the confederations responsible for football across different regions.
