UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC accuse FIFA of 'deception' and 'breach of trust' over World Cup plans

FIFA has apologized for errors made in Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. Senior staff in attendance at a crisis meeting in Morocco attempted to present a unified front and “reaffirmed their full support” for his presidency. FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrives for the inauguration of President Abelardo de la Espriella in Cali, Colombia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Soccer powerbrokers in Europe, North America and Asia and believe FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s recent plan to sell an interest in the World Cup was a “fundamental breach of trust” with the institutions that the sport’s global governing body serves. The letter was co-signed by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and the general secretaries of the those continental governing bodies. “Football is the world’s greatest shared passion.

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Scoop News DeskMorocco · Published Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at 2:38 AM UTCUpdated Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 1:10 AM UTC

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Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present.” FIFA was also urged to go further than just acknowledging mistakes were made. “It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment,” the letter said. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.” In a statement released Saturday, FIFA defended Infantino against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the organization.

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