Victor Montagliani asks Gianni Infantino to cancel his visit to the Dominican Republic

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino not to attend a youth soccer tournament this weekend in the Dominican Republic, saying his presence would overshadow the event due to growing opposition to his leadership. The 56-year-old Italian-Swiss is under pressure from three confederations to resign, including UEFA (Europe), AFC (Asia) and CONCACAF, which represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, after his proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup failed.

The FIFA president, who could face a vote of no confidence from world football's major regional powers, is visiting the Dominican Republic this weekend and is reportedly planning to attend a competition organized by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). In a letter addressed to Infantino on Friday and seen by Reuters, Montagliani cited the “governance crisis affecting FIFA” to ask the FIFA president to reconsider his participation in the event.

“As you are no doubt aware, your proposed participation has generated considerable media interest,” wrote Mr Montagliani, who is also vice-president of the FIFA Council. “The media will focus on this situation, which unfortunately will significantly distract attention from the technical nature of this junior competition. This is why I respectfully ask you, on behalf of football, to reconsider your participation, because it unfortunately risks harming the technical nature of this important youth training activity.