<\/p>\n
Football\u2019s ongoing civil war has escalated further, with FIFA and embattled president Gianni Infantino facing the threat of breakaway competitions in response to the aborted plan to sell a stake in the World Cup.<\/p>\n
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, have banded together to issue a savage open letter accusing Infantino and the world governing body of \u201cdeception\u201d and abandoning their duty to the game.<\/p>\n
With UEFA still threatening a boycott of future World Cups, reports have emerged that the three bodies are in discussions over the possibility of setting up a separate tournament to allow players the opportunity to compete in major competition should FIFA not acquiesce to a series of demands.<\/p>\n
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n And if that wasn\u2019t troubling enough for the scandal-plagued organisation, it has been revealed that a banker heavily involved in the sell-off plan was closely linked to Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n LATEST ON FIFA SCANDAL<\/b><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018YOU HAVE TO FIRE HIM\u2019: FIFA boss\u2019 alleged affair exposed<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u2018ABUSE OF POWER\u2019: Shock Infantino backer emerges<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u2018WILL NOT TOLERATE\u2019: FIFA digs heels in<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The joint letter, signed by each association\u2019s president and secretary-general and branded \u201cOpen letter to the football family\u201d, describes their opposition to FIFA and Infantino as \u201ca duty of service to the football family\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not about money. The Confederations have already called for the responsible distribution of FIFA\u2019s vast existing reserves to further strengthen investment in the development of Member Associations,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n \u201cNor is it about any Member Association losing the support it has earned, despite the fearmongering directed at our membership to suggest otherwise. <\/p>\n \u201cNor is it about revisiting the expansion of competitions, World Cup allocations, or any other decisions reached collectively. Those decisions were made together, and they must stand.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it.<\/p>\n \u201cLeadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding \u2013 or demanding \u2013 power to be held. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter makes no direct reference to Infantino, whose ousting as FIFA president has been high on UEFA\u2019s list of priorities since the beginning of the saga.<\/p>\n But its claim that \u201cwhen trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned\u201d could scarcely have been more pointed.<\/p>\n While FIFA and Infantino have stepped away from the sell-off plan, citing it as a mistake, the backtrack hasn\u2019t proved sufficient for world football\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cA proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed towards a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight \u2013 it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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 judgement \u2013 not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.<\/p>\n Infantino apologises over sell-off plan | 02:57<\/p>\n \u201cFIFA has also committed to presenting a full report on these events to the FIFA Council, once again failing to recognise that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgement 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter adds: \u201cThere is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. <\/p>\n \u201cThat is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n The three associations\u2019 voice has been added to by US Soccer, who released a statement of their own calling for \u201cmeaningful change that strengthens FIFA\u2019s governance, transparency and accountability\u201d.<\/p>\n Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The Telegraph<\/a> has reported that talks of a breakaway competition are still in their infancy, but remain a viable option should the stand-off continue.<\/p>\n Wenger the latest to whack Infantino | 00:54<\/p>\n The first major competition set to be affected by the boycott is the U20 Women\u2019s World Cup, which takes place in Poland next month.<\/p>\n France have indicated their team will play regardless, while England\u2019s Football Association refused to comment.<\/p>\n FIFA, meanwhile, have remained staunch in support of Infantino, who has garnered support from the Confederation of African Football as well as Argentina and Mexico.<\/p>\n