Football confederations demand transparency and unity from FIFA
The confederations of Europe (UEFA), Asia (AFC), and North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) have raised their voices in a joint call to FIFA, requesting greater transparency and unity in the management of world football. The discontent arises from the recent way in which the governing body has handled projects related to the commercialization of the World Cup.
Through an open letter addressed to the global football community, the leaders of these three organizations expressed their deep concern regarding what they consider to be a deterioration in institutional trust and a lack of clear processes in strategic decision-making.
Questioning the management process
The document is backed by the highest authorities of the confederations involved, including Aleksander Ceferin and Theodore Theodoridis (UEFA), Victor Montagliani and Philippe Moggio (CONCACAF), along with Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Datuk Seri Windsor John (AFC). The leaders maintain that the conflict transcends the economic, focusing on the integrity and responsibility of the current leaders.
Football leadership must be understood as a responsibility of service towards all the institutions that make up the sport and not as a concentration of power.
Joint statement from the confederations
The confederations pointed out that the proposal for the commercialization of the World Cup was presented under extremely tight deadlines, preventing member federations from conducting an adequate analysis. This procedure, according to the signatories, appears to be a deliberate design to limit scrutiny of the initiative.
Demand for an independent review
- External review: The confederations demand that the report to be presented to the FIFA Council be analyzed by a completely independent third party.
- Governance concerns: The FIFA leadership meeting in Morocco was questioned, where select members participated instead of the full body meeting at its usual headquarters.
- Defense of transparency: The main objective is to strengthen accountability and regain trust among the institutions that make up international football.
Finally, UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF insisted that respect for the unity of world football is fundamental, urging leaders to always act for the benefit of the sport and under the principles of transparency that govern global sports institutions.
