UEFA has issued a joint statement with the Asian and North and Central American football confederations to crank the pressure up on FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Last week, UEFA confirmed that it would still boycott FIFA competitions despite Infantino scrapping and apologising for his controversial plan to sell off the World Cup to private investors. The European confederation stated that it had lost confidence in Infantino, who remains in his post.
Joint statement from three confederations
Now, UEFA has teamed up with the AFC and CONCACAF. Their joint statement read: "Dear Football Family, Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the Member Associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future.
"It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today. The growth over the past decade has been real. But that progress was never the work of one individual. It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game."
Shared achievements and integrity concerns
The statement continued: "The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together. This is not about money.
"The Confederations have already called for the responsible distribution of FIFA's vast existing reserves to further strengthen investment in the development of Member Associations. Nor is it about any Member Association losing the support it has earned, despite the fearmongering directed at our membership to suggest otherwise.
"Nor is it about revisiting the expansion of competitions, World Cup allocations, or any other decisions reached collectively. Those decisions were made together, and they must stand. This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it.
"There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness. These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership.
"That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve. Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it."
