The Albany Gazette - CONMEBOL 'expresses concern regarding repeated unilateral actions' by FIFA

CONMEBOL is usually seen as a strong supporter of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but its criticism echoes other confederations which said they were blindsided by the announcement of the investor plan, which was ditched on Saturday.

"In light of the events affecting the football family, the CONMEBOL Council, meeting today, welcomes FIFA's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal," read the confederation's statement.

"The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature."

CONMEBOL, which declared its support for Infantino's re-election bid earlier this year, said the fall-out had overshadowed an "extraordinary" World Cup.

"Within a matter of days, football has gone from being at the center of global attention due to the staging of an extraordinary sporting event to becoming the focus of public debate on matters related to its governance," it said.

But CONMEBOL insisted it would not support any move to unseat Infantino before the FIFA presidential election in Rabat next March.

Infantino's opponents could try to oust him through a vote of no confidence by obtaining the necessary votes to force an extraordinary FIFA Congress.

"On 18 November, 2026, the deadline for submitting candidacies for the FIFA presidency will expire.

"Thereafter, the FIFA Congress will elect, through the votes of its 211 member associations, the person who will lead the organization during the next term, including overseeing the organization of the FIFA Centennial World Cup 2030.

"Accordingly, CONMEBOL will not support any action or procedure that disregards or departs from those institutional mechanisms."

(A.Johnson--TAG)