A joint-statement from UEFA, Concacaf and AFC has piled the pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino, calling for “unity, accountability and openness” in response to the World Cup controversy.FIFA have publicly supported Infantino following the collapse of his proposal to sell shares in future World Cups, which was criticized not only for its contents, but the secretive nature of its planning and subsequent leak to the public.UEFA, Europe’s governing body, has been particularly aggressive with calls for change at the top of FIFA, vowing to boycott future competitions as early as September’s U-20 Women’s World Cup if demands are not met.Now, uniting with Concacaf (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) and AFC (The Asian Football Confederation), the three bodies have issued a lengthy statement expressing disappointment with FIFA’s response and demanding more.“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion,” the letter began. “It belongs to no individual and no institution.“It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the Member Associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future.“It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today.”The Key Points in the StatementInfantino is facing calls for his resignation. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images‘Deceptive’ Infantino Not Solely Responsible for GrowthMuch of the defense of Infantino has revolved around the undeniable growth of soccer during his presidency. The Argentine Football Association went as far as to pledge support with a letter written directly to the under-fire president to congratulate him on his work personally.In the eyes of UEFA, Concacaf and AFC, however, the credit should be shared around.“The growth over the past decade has been real. But that progress was never the work of one individual. It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game.“The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together.”The statement continued: “This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it.“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding—or demanding—power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”FIFA’s Disappointing ResponseIn FIFA’s show of support for Infantino, it congratulated the president for apologizing for the doomed World Cup plan. There was, however, no criticism of the actual plan itself.Furthermore, the three confederations also took issue with Infantino’s emergency meeting in Morocco, which only included a small number of close confidants—similar to the process in which USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension was lifted during the World Cup.“FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment. A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight—it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny.“It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment—not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.“FIFA has also committed to presenting a full report on these events to the FIFA Council, once again failing to recognize that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgment would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party, not by FIFA itself, its staff, or by any stakeholder within football. The FIFA administration should play no role in conducting the review.“FIFA’s own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the leadership meeting in Morocco. No FIFA Council members or Member Associations were invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present.“This recent meeting, where a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee—not the full Committee—were summoned abroad, rather than leadership going to Zurich to address the heart of FIFA, its staff, only reinforces these concerns and represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment. It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him.”Final StatementIn the eyes of UEFA, Concacaf and AFC, the next move is clear.“There is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness.“These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honored now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”How Many Member Associations Have Turned on Infantino?The three confederations represent a comfortable majority. | Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty ImagesThis statement is particularly interesting as, for the first time, we now have concrete proof that the majority of FIFA’s 211 Member Associations are united against Infantino.A total of 136 MAs are represented in this statement—55 from UEFA, 46 from AFC and 35 from Concacaf—which comfortably exceeds the 106 votes that would be needed to oust Infantino if a vote of no confidence was taken.Only 43 are needed to actually trigger such a ballot but, despite the scathing statement, it is not clear whether a total of 106 MAs would actually vote to remove Infantino or how many are simply seeking a procedural change at the top of FIFA.Infantino has received direct support from CAF, the Confederation of African Football, and its 54 members.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow