Infantino Defies CONCACAF Chief's Request, Attends Caribbean Football Union Event

FIFA president Gianni Infantino ignored a request from CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani not to attend a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-14 youth tournament in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. In a Friday, Aug 21 letter, Montagliani wrote 'I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance,' warning that Infantino's presence — amid FIFA's governance crisis over the abandoned $20B 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' stake-sale plan — would 'unfortunately undermine the technical nature' of the youth competition. Infantino attended anyway on Saturday, met Caribbean football and political officials, announced FIFA-funded development projects, and posted photos to Instagram. He later said he received 'a very, very warm welcome' and that 'it's important to engage, to have a dialogue, to express views and opinions.' The Irish Times reported the visit 'angered' Concacaf nations and was widely read as Infantino lobbying Caribbean federations for re-election votes to split the Concacaf bloc, which has aligned with UEFA and the AFC in demanding his resignation. Infantino has not taken public questions since the stake-sale plan was first revealed July 28.