Fifa President Gianni Infantino traveled to the Dominican Republic for meetings with regional officials despite a direct written request from Concacaf President Victor Montagliani to stay away from a Caribbean U14 youth tournament, according to international reporting and leaked correspondence. Montagliani warned that the governing body’s ongoing leadership crisis would undermine the sporting integrity of the youth event.
Montagliani Warns of Leadership Crisis and Media Distractions
The friction centers on a letter sent to Infantino by Victor Montagliani, who serves as the head of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Sportschau) and as a vice-president of the Fifa Council (Focus). Montagliani urged the Fifa chief to skip the regional U14 tournament taking place over the weekend in the Dominican Republic. According to the correspondence obtained by the media, the Canadian official argued that the leader’s presence would draw intense media scrutiny regarding Fifa’s governance issues, specifically pointing to the controversial “Fifa Forward Enterprise” proposal (Focus).
“I believe that the media, given the leadership crisis at Fifa triggered by your controversial ‘Fifa Forward Enterprise’ proposal, will focus on this situation,” Montagliani wrote in the letter published by international outlets. “Therefore, I politely ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance, as it will unfortunately undermine the sporting character of this important youth development measure” (Focus). The regional U14 competition for youth national teams is organized under the umbrella of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) (Sportschau).
Infantino Arrives in the Dominican Republic Amid Ongoing Backlash
Despite the formal request to stay away, Infantino traveled to the Dominican Republic, arriving on Friday (Focus). During his visit, the 56-year-old Swiss administrator met with the country’s Minister for Sport and Freizeit, Kelvin Cruz, local political figures, and Jose Deschamps, who serves as the chairman of the Dominican Republic football federation (Focus). It remained unclear whether Infantino would ultimately make an appearance at the youth tournament itself (Focus).
Infantino documented parts of the trip on social media, uploading photos and video footage showing him receiving a warm welcome and embraces from local officials (Focus). “I am very pleased to be here in the Dominican Republic to discuss how we can continue our fruitful partnership to further strengthen football and create more opportunities for young people in the country and the region through sport and our beautiful game,” Infantino wrote on Instagram (Focus). While on the ground, Infantino was approached by a reporter from British broadcaster Sky and asked whether he had “betrayed football,” a question the Fifa president declined to answer (Sportschau).
Broader Institutional Conflict Over Commercial Rights and Elections
The controversy stems largely from Infantino’s previous push to restructure commercial rights for major tournaments—including the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup—by housing them in a subsidiary and selling a 20 percent stake to private investors for 4.2 billion US dollars (Sportschau). That plan drew fierce resistance because the deal singled out an investment firm tied to Joshua Kushner without an open competitive bidding process (Sportschau). Although that specific commercial proposal was eventually shelved, the fallout created a lasting rift (Sportschau).
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Major regional bodies, including Concacaf, UEFA, and the Asian Football Confederation, previously united to accuse Infantino of a “fundamental breach of trust” (Sportschau). Numerous national associations, particularly across Europe, have formally rescinded their support for Infantino’s leadership ahead of the scheduled March 2027 presidential election (Sportschau). Despite the opposition from continental powerhouses and figures like Montagliani—who is viewed as a potential successor or challenger—Infantino retains robust backing across South America, Africa, and select national associations within the Caribbean, such as Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis, giving him vital leverage among the 211 member federations holding votes (Sportschau).
What Comes Next
With Infantino pressing ahead with diplomatic visits across the Caribbean to shore up localized support, the diplomatic standoff between the Fifa leadership and key continental confederations like Concacaf and UEFA continues ahead of the electoral congress scheduled for March 2027 (Sportschau). Formal institutional responses from Concacaf and further statements regarding governance reforms are expected as the scheduling for the upcoming election cycle draws closer.
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