Sports Editorial.– The confederations of Europe (UEFA), Asia (AFC), and North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) made a joint call for unity and transparency within FIFA, while questioning the way in which the world football governing body recently managed a project related to the commercialization of the World Cup.

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In an open letter addressed to the so-called “football family,” the main leaders of the three confederations expressed their concern over what they consider a breach of institutional trust and criticized the process used to promote the initiative.

The document is signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three organizations: Aleksander Ceferin and Theodore Theodoridis, for UEFA; Victor Montagliani and Philippe Moggio, for CONCACAF; and Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Datuk Seri Windsor John, for the AFC.

FIFA process questioned

The confederations maintain that the conflict is not related exclusively to economic aspects, loss of support, or changes in competitions, but to the integrity of football and the responsibility of those who have been elected to lead its institutions.

In that sense, they described the communication sent by FIFA to its vice-presidents and the 211 member associations to explain the project of creating a structure intended to commercialize a stake in the World Cup as an “error of judgment.”

According to UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF, the proposal was submitted within too short a timeframe and without sufficiently broad consultation, which, in their view, limited the ability of the federations to adequately analyze its terms.

The three confederations considered that this procedure was not the result of a simple oversight, but rather a design that would have reduced the level of scrutiny over the initiative.

They demand an independent review

Another point questioned was the review process of the report that will be presented to the FIFA Council. The confederations demanded that this analysis be carried out by a completely independent third party.

They also expressed their concern regarding a recent FIFA leadership meeting held in Morocco, in which some members of the Management Committee participated selectively, instead of the entire body meeting in Zurich.

In the opinion of the three confederations, this decision deepens doubts about the way in which certain decisions are being made within the highest football governing body.

Call to restore trust

UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF insisted that 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.

In their statement, they demanded respect for the unity of world football and asked its leaders to act to serve the sport and not to exercise control over it.

The three organizations concluded that their position responds to the need to defend transparency, accountability, and trust among the various institutions that make up the international football structure.