Infantino asked to skip youth tournament as three confederations demand his resignation

Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has formally requested that Fifa president Gianni Infantino stay away from a youth football tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend, warning that his attendance would overshadow the competition given the mounting political crisis surrounding his leadership.

In a letter sent to Infantino on Friday and seen by Reuters, Montagliani cited the “governance crisis surrounding Fifa” as grounds for the president to reconsider attending the Caribbean Football Union’s U-14 Series event. “The media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition,” Montagliani wrote, adding that he was making the request “in the name of football.”

Infantino is facing calls to resign from three of football’s major regional confederations — Europe’s Uefa, Asia’s AFC and Concacaf itself — following his aborted proposal to sell a stake in the Fifa World Cup. The Swiss administrator could potentially face a vote of no confidence from those bodies, a significant escalation of pressure on a leader who is seeking a fourth term in office through to 2031.

Despite the controversy, Infantino travelled to Punta Cana, where he was received by the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kelvin Cruz. “We deeply appreciate your visit to the Dominican Republic,” Cruz said in a statement. “Without doubt, your presence in our country puts us on the international football radar and opens great prospects for the growth and development of Dominican football.”

Infantino was also welcomed by Dominican Football Federation president Jose Deschamps, National Commissioner of Football Benny Metz and Olympic Committee president Garibaldy Bautista Lorenzo.

The episode underlines how rapidly Infantino’s position has deteriorated since he abandoned his controversial plan to sell a commercial stake in the World Cup. Several national associations and senior officials have withdrawn their support for his re-election bid, and the public rebuke from Montagliani — who also serves as a vice-president on the Fifa Council — signals that the institutional opposition to his leadership is now operating in the open.

Fifa had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.