CONCACAF asks Infantino to skip youth event amid FIFA governance crisis

CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani has asked FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to ⁠stay away from a youth football tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend, saying his presence would overshadow the event due to mounting opposition to his leadership.

Infantino ⁠is under pressure from three confederations to resign, including Europe’s UEFA, Asia’s AFC and CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, after his aborted proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup.

Infantino, who could potentially face a vote of no confidence ‌from world football’s regional powerhouses, is visiting the Dominican Republic this weekend and was reportedly planning to attend a competition organised by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

In a letter sent to Infantino on Friday and seen by the Reuters news agency, Montagliani cited the “governance crisis surrounding FIFA” as the reason for the FIFA president to reconsider attending the CFU U-14 Series event.

“As you may be aware, your proposed attendance has garnered significant media ⁠attention,” Montagliani, who is also a vice president on the FIFA Council, ⁠wrote.

“…the media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition.

“As such, I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your ⁠attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity.”

Infantino was ⁠received at Punta Cana by the Dominican Republic’s Minister ⁠of Sports and Recreation Kelvin Cruz.