Infantino broke trust ‘through deception’: Confederation presidents

FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino have been accused of breaking trust “through deception” in an open letter issued by UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.

The letter, signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three regional governing bodies, said recent controversy over the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal was fundamentally about “the integrity of the game and the integrity of those elected to lead it”.

FFE would have meant a new company being created to manage commercial and ticketing rights of all FIFA competitions, including the World Cups, with 21% sold off to a private investment company.

It was aborted after widespread criticism from several confederations, led by UEFA which has threatened a boycott of all FIFA competitions.

BBC Sport understands that there have been preliminary discussions between the three confederations over breakaway competitions – should Infantino remain in situ.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the letter read.

It added: “Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.”

While the statement did not name Infantino, sources have told BBC Sport that it should be seen as an opportunity for him to resign and leave his position with dignity.

It comes after FIFA issued a statement on Saturday evening which strongly criticised a “concerted and ongoing effort” to “undermine” the organisation and Infantino.