Gianni Infantino Urged to Avoid Youth Tournament in Dominican Republic
Gianni Infantino has been urged to stay away from a youth tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend, as the political storm around his leadership of Fifa spills onto the touchline.
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has written to the Fifa chief, asking him not to attend the CFU Under-14 Series, warning that his presence would drag the focus away from the football and back onto the “governance crisis surrounding Fifa”.
Concacaf plea: “In the name of football”
In a letter seen by the BBC, Montagliani – who is also a Fifa vice-president – told Infantino that the ongoing turmoil around the organisation meant his visit risked overshadowing what is meant to be a purely developmental event.
He said Infantino’s presence would “unfortunately undermine the technical nature” of the competition, stressing that media coverage would inevitably zero in on the scandal around the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project rather than the youngsters on the pitch.
“The media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition,” Montagliani wrote.
“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.”
The request is striking. Montagliani is not just a regional confederation president but also part of Fifa’s own leadership structure, underlining how deep the unease now runs.
Warm welcome in the Caribbean, cold winds in Zurich
Infantino had been invited to the Dominican Republic as a guest of the host nation, an invitation understood to have been extended before his controversial FFE proposal ignited a backlash and placed his long-term grip on the presidency under threat.
On arrival in the Caribbean, he was warmly received. Local officials rolled out the red carpet, keen to highlight what a visit from the head of world football could mean for a country still emerging on the global stage.
“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 Under-14 tournament itself is one of several development projects funded through Fifa’s Forward programme, a central plank of Infantino’s presidency and a key reason many smaller associations have backed him so strongly over the years.
Yet this time, the politics refuse to stay in the background.
Fallout from FFE proposal
Infantino has come under intense fire for his now-abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise plan, which sought to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.
The proposal has been scrapped, but the damage lingers. A number of national associations have pulled their support, accusing the Swiss-Italian administrator of breaking trust “through deception” in an open letter issued by Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation.
The dismissal of senior executive Kevin Lamour, after he criticised Infantino’s approach, has only deepened the sense of crisis inside Fifa. That decision has itself drawn sharp criticism and fed into the narrative of a leadership under siege.
Yet Infantino is not isolated everywhere. He still commands powerful backing from Conmebol in South America and Caf in Africa, blocs that have helped sustain his position and could prove decisive as talk of a fourth term refuses to die down.
So a youth tournament in the Caribbean, meant to showcase emerging talent, now finds itself caught in the crossfire of global football politics. Whether Infantino heeds Montagliani’s plea will say plenty about how he intends to navigate the most turbulent spell of his presidency.
