Disappointed with FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s performance as a “custodian of the game,” three powerful confederations called on him ​to resign from his position on Monday.

UEFA (Europe), Concacaf (North America, Central America ‌and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia) joined together to ​release an open letter signed by the president ⁠and general secretary of each organisation.

Infantino has been under fire since last month’s failed plan to launch the FIFA Forward Enterprise, ‌which would have sold part of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors to raise billions ‌of dollars.

He apparently caused further damage by holding ‌a ⁠crisis meeting last week in Morocco with select members ⁠of FIFA’s management team.

“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,” reads the letter from UEFA, Concacaf and AFC.

“It ​is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes ⁠the game is answerable to him. 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.”

Infantino, 56, is up for re-election in 2027 and is seeking another four-year term. He has ‌held the position since 2016 after serving as the UEFA Secretary General ​from 2009-16.

U.S. Soccer made its first public comments on the swirling controversy on Monday, saying it stands ⁠united with fellow member associations and other regional governing bodies.

“U.S. Soccer, ⁠Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) stand together, along with our colleagues around ‌the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability,” U.S. Soccer posted on X.

Infantino ​has received support from the Argentine Football Association and the Mexican Football Federation.

World Cup co-hosts U.S. and Canada oppose Infantino

The football federations of the United States and Canada — two of the 2026 World Cup host nations — on Monday backed the statement from the three confederations.

U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, the CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) said they “stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability”.

That puts the U.S. and Canada at odds with the third co-host of this year’s World Cup, Mexico, which has given Infantino its backing.

FIFA had hit back on Saturday at “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” football’s governing body and Infantino.

The social media post from U.S. Soccer and Canada Soccer contained a link to the joint letter.

Former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Luis Figo has called for “deceitful” Gianni Infantino to quit as pressure mounts on the under-fire FIFA president.

Infantino is fighting to save his job after a fierce backlash against his plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup.

The 56-year-old wanted to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup to private equity investors through his FIFA Forward Enterprise.

The plan sparked a cascade of criticism for Infantino and has been rejected by three continental confederations, forcing the FIFA chief to ditch his divisive idea.

In a bid to win back support after his divisive plot, Infantino held emergency talks with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday, a source told AFP.

But former Portugal forward Figo heaped pressure on Infantino as he blasted the plan and demanded his resignation.

“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go,” Figo wrote in the Daily Mail on Wednesday (August 5, 2026).

“I have loved football all my life. I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game.

“But what I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.

“The man who would do that — the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends — is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future.”

Infantino had defended his proposal by claiming it would increase revenue for all FIFA member nations.

But his attempt to rush through the deal without consulting Football Associations across the world, along with concerns about potentially playing an increased World Cup every two years instead of every four, sparked a furious backlash.

Several senior FIFA officials — including former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger — have lambasted Infantino’s behaviour.

Figo, who pulled out of the race to become FIFA president in 2015, wants Infantino to step down immediately rather than wait for his attempt to be re-elected next year.

“Infantino has debased the office of FIFA president that he promised to elevate,” said Figo, who won a host of trophies in his glittering playing career.

“He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.”

The 53-year-old added: “He has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the FIFA Peace Prize winner (U.S. President Donald Trump).

“It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.”