Gianni Infantino went against the advice of FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani and attended an Under-14 soccer event in the Caribbean, amidst the controversy surrounding his failed proposal to privatize future World Cup profits. Infantino shared images on his Instagram account, showcasing his meeting with political and soccer representatives from the Dominican Republic during a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament at the Punta Cana resort.
Montagliani had urged Infantino to refrain from attending the event to prevent distractions from the soccer matches due to FIFA’s governance crisis following the contentious FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. However, Infantino chose to participate despite the request.
FIFA did not provide a comment on Montagliani’s request but highlighted its financial support to regional bodies like the CFU, contributing up to $5 million US per World Cup cycle. Montagliani, along with other FIFA vice presidents, including Aleksander Ceferin and Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, has called for the end of Infantino’s tenure, accusing him of deceit in planning to transfer FIFA’s lucrative commercial activities to external investors without transparency.
Infantino scrapped the controversial project on August 1 in response to widespread criticism from the soccer community and fans. The Zurich-based Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, who publicly criticized the proposal and Infantino’s leadership, was dismissed the same week. Caribbean federations are potential allies for Infantino in breaking away from CONCACAF leadership, while CONMEBOL from South America supports him as the preferred route to increasing World Cup participation.
Infantino has avoided public questioning since the unveiling of the $20 billion project on July 28. During the recent event in Punta Cana, he dodged questions from a Sky News reporter about his resignation, opting instead to make light-hearted remarks about their shared baldness. His plans for reelection for a final term until 2031 will be decided at the FIFA election congress in Rabat, Morocco, next year, with a deadline set for potential candidates to declare their candidacy by November 18.