Sports developments: Infantino faces pressure, Formula 1 results, and riots in the German Cup

The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf) has asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino not to attend a junior tournament, in the latest sign of deepening divisions resulting from his attempt to sell a share of the World Cup, Sky News has learned.

Infantino was told in a letter sent to him on Friday from the region's football leadership that his attendance at the tournament in the Dominican Republic over the weekend would "undermine" children's matches.

The FIFA president, who is facing increasing pressure, arrived on the island in the Caribbean Sea on Friday. He dealt lightly with questions directed to him by “Sky News” regarding the crisis affecting the International Federation, and he also remained silent about his future.

While Infantino received a welcome from local politicians, the president of the North American and Caribbean Football Confederation informed him that he was not welcome at the Caribbean Football Confederation Under-14 Championship.

It is understood that the invitation was made to Infantino before officials became aware of secret plans to try to sell shares in a new World Cup project to private investors, plans that sparked outrage within CONCACAF after they were leaked last month.

Sky News learned that Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, wrote to Infantino on Friday, explaining that the “governance crisis” caused by the plan “will unfortunately greatly divert attention from the technical nature of the Caribbean Confederation’s junior competition,” in light of the media focus on the crisis.

Montagliani, who also serves as FIFA vice president, told Infantino: “I respectfully ask you, in the name of football, to reconsider your attendance, because it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important activity for youth development.”

British Mercedes driver George Russell won the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix in the Formula 1 World Championship, after starting from first place on Saturday, while his Italian colleague Kimi Antonelli strengthened his lead in the general standings and widened the gap with British Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari driver, to 53 points.

Russell crossed the finish line amid volatile weather conditions at the Zandvoort Circuit, 1.360 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, a Ferrari driver, who finished second, while defending champion Lando Norris, a McLaren driver, took third place.

The riots that took place during the match between Waldhof Mannheim and Kaiserslautern on Friday, in the first round of the German Football Cup, resulted in the injury of 85 people, including 35 members of the security forces, according to a preliminary toll announced by the local police on Saturday.

The authorities had classified the confrontation between Waldhof Mannheim, a competitor in the third division, and Kaiserslautern, which belongs to the second division, as a high-risk match, due to the intensity of the rivalry between the fans of the two teams.

The match was stopped for half an hour after the end of regular time in a goalless draw, after disturbances broke out in the stands and around the field.