Infantino Urged to Stay Away from CFU Under-14 Series

Gianni Infantino has been urged to stay away from a youth tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend, as the storm around his leadership of Fifa spills onto the touchline.

Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, who is also a Fifa vice-president, wrote to Infantino asking him to reconsider attending the CFU Under-14 Series, warning that the current “governance crisis surrounding Fifa” would overshadow the football.

In the letter, seen by the BBC, Montagliani said Infantino’s presence would “unfortunately undermine the technical nature” of the event, stressing that media attention would inevitably lock onto the controversy around the Fifa president rather than the development of young players.

“The media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition,” he wrote, before adding: “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 had been invited as a guest of the Dominican Republic, with that invitation understood to have been issued before the eruption of anger over his Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. That plan, now scrapped, sought to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors and has left his position under serious pressure.

The backlash has been fierce. Several national associations have withdrawn their backing for the Swiss-Italian, and an open letter from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation accused him of breaking trust “through deception”. Fifa’s decision to dismiss senior executive Kevin Lamour after he criticised Infantino has only deepened the sense of crisis.

Yet the picture is far from one of total isolation. Infantino was warmly received on arrival in the Caribbean, and a number of Concacaf members still support him for a fourth term as Fifa president. South American governing body Conmebol and African confederation Caf also continue to stand behind him.

Local officials in the Dominican Republic have been keen to highlight what his visit means for them. “We deeply appreciate your visit to the Dominican Republic, without doubt that your presence in our country puts us on the international football radar and opens us great prospects for growth and development of Dominican football,” said the country’s minister of sports and recreation, Kelvin Cruz, in a statement.

The CFU Under-14 Series is one of several projects backed by Fifa’s development arm through the Fifa Forward programme. That is precisely why Montagliani fears the current political firestorm could drown out the football.

A youth tournament built to nurture the next generation now sits in the crosshairs of a global power struggle. Whether Infantino heeds the call to stay away will say plenty about how he plans to fight for his future.