UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC slam Infantino: "Trust betrayed, respect football's unity."
"The strength of football has always been its unity. We call for this unity to now be honored, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to dominate it." Thus, in a joint statement signed by their presidents, UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC take a stand against FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "Football is the greatest shared passion in the world. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the federations, and every institution charged with safeguarding its future," emphasized Aleksandar Ceferin, Victor Montigliani, and Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, presidents of UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC, respectively. "It is in this spirit that we speak collectively today. The growth seen over the last decade has been real, but this progress has never been the work of a single individual. It has been the product of FIFA, its confederations, its member associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to this sport."
"The goals achieved have been shared, agreed upon, and achieved together," the three confederations' statement continues. "The confederations have already called for a responsible distribution of FIFA's substantial reserves to further strengthen investment in the development of their member associations. Nor is it a question of reconsidering the expansion of competitions, the awarding of the World Cup, or any other decision taken collectively. These decisions were made jointly and must stand. It is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game and those elected to lead it. Leadership in football is not a possession, it is not about holding or claiming power. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it to them." "When trust is betrayed through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty is breached," reads the statement from UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC. "FIFA's recent letter to its vice-presidents and 211 member associations acknowledges that errors were made in the process, speaking of a failure of communication when in fact what football witnessed was an error of judgment. A proposal advanced in a short timeframe, without meaningful consultation, and with a deadline set before member associations could adequately examine its terms is not the result of an oversight, but rather a strategy aimed at limiting scrutiny. It has not been acknowledged that the proposal itself was intrinsically flawed; it is still not recognized that it was a serious error of judgment, not just a procedural error but a fundamental breach of trust in the very institutions FIFA is supposed to serve."
"FIFA has committed to submitting a full report on these events to the Council, once again failing to acknowledge that proper governance, in the face of such a serious lapse in judgment, would require such a review to be conducted by a complementary and independent third party, not by FIFA itself, its staff, or any other football stakeholder," UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC emphasize. FIFA's letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the summit meeting in Morocco. No members of the Council or its member associations were invited to attend. Only the Executive Board, composed of senior FIFA officials, was present. This recent meeting, not with the full Committee, was convened abroad, rather than in Zurich, the heart of FIFA. This only reinforces these concerns and represents a continuation of the same pattern of conduct that has brought us to this point. This is not the conduct of a guardian of the game, but of someone who believes the game is accountable to them. There is silence where there should be responsibility, distance where there should be transparency. These are not the qualities football deserves from its leaders. That is why we have taken this position: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.
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(Adnkronos)
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