Infantino asked to stay away from youth tournament
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been asked by Concacaf president Victor Montagliani to skip a youth football tournament in the Dominican Republic. The request stems from concerns that Infantino's presence would distract from the event due to ongoing governance controversies surrounding his leadership.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the deepening internal friction within global football governance and the reputational challenges facing FIFA's leadership.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Gianni Infantino has been Fifa president since 2016
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been asked to stay away from a youth football tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend by Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.
In a letter seen by the BBC, Montagliani referred to the "governance crisis surrounding Fifa", before asking Infantino to reconsider attending the the CFU Under-14 Series event.
The Canadian, who is also a Fifa vice-president, added his presence would "unfortunately undermine the technical nature" of the competition.
Infantino was invited as a guest of the Dominican Republic, although the invitation is believed to have been issued prior to his controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal , which has left his position under threat.
"The media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition," wrote Montagliani.
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