Gianni Infantino attends Caribbean youth tournament despite CONCACAF request to stay away

Defying CONCACAF request in Punta Cana

FIFA president Gianni Infantino made a public appearance in the Dominican Republic on Saturday, attending the Caribbean Football Union Under-14 Series despite requests from confederation leadership to stay away. CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani sent an emailed letter on Friday urging Infantino to reconsider his travel. Montagliani argued that media scrutiny regarding FIFA governance would detract from the youth competition in Punta Cana. Infantino arrived on Friday, attending a dinner with CFU representatives and meeting local sports dignitaries. Dominican Republic Minister of Sports and Recreation Kelvin Cruz welcomed Infantino alongside Dominican Football Federation president Jose Deschamps, National Commissioner of Football Benny Metz, and Dominican Olympic Committee president Garibaldy Bautista Lorenzo.

I believe that considering the governance crisis surrounding FIFA as a result of your controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, the media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition.

The FIFA Forward Enterprise fallout

The dispute in the Caribbean follows the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which intended to spin off FIFA commercial activities to a subsidiary 20% owned by private investors led by Joshua Kushner. Infantino withdrew the project on 1 August 2026 following opposition from confederations, national associations, and fans. The proposal had also triggered internal dissent within FIFA headquarters in Zurich, where chief operating officer Kevin Lamour publicly criticized the initiative before being dismissed from his post. European body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF subsequently issued a joint letter accusing Infantino of breaking trust through deception and demanding his resignation. UEFA has also threatened to boycott future FIFA competitions if governance concerns remain unaddressed.

Political divisions across confederations

Infantino is currently in his 11th year in office and is pursuing a fourth presidential term through 2031. The joint opposition from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, and Montagliani represents the most coordinated challenge to his leadership since his election in 2016. However, Infantino maintains key pockets of support across world football, notably from African confederation CAF and South American body CONMEBOL, which seeks an expanded role for the 2030 World Cup. Within CONCACAF, the 56-year-old Swiss administrator retains strong ties to Caribbean federations, which receive direct development funding of up to $5 million per four-year World Cup cycle through the FIFA Forward programme.

Media confrontation in Punta Cana

While staying at a hotel in the Dominican Republic, Infantino avoided addressing questions regarding his political future and the cancelled commercial sale. Confronted outside his hotel by Sky News correspondent James Matthews, who asked whether he had betrayed the game and why he had not resigned, Infantino deflected with remarks about the reporter's appearance.

You have a nice haircut. Thank you so much.

When pressed again on whether he would resign given the calls from member associations, Infantino stepped into a vehicle and added, "I'll see you at the hairdressers." Montagliani, who is widely seen as a potential challenger in the next FIFA presidential election, is also scheduled to attend the Under-14 tournament in the Caribbean this weekend.