Infantino Eyes Dominican Republic Visit as FIFA Pressure Builds

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has made plans to attend a Caribbean Football Union youth tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend as he faces growing pressure over his leadership, according to the Guardian. His attendance has not been confirmed, and FIFA declined to comment to the newspaper about his movements.

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The event is the CFU's U14 Boys Challenge, which is not organised by FIFA. The Guardian reported that senior figures within Concacaf urged Infantino not to attend. The CFU includes 21 associations that are voting members of FIFA, making meetings around the competition potentially significant before the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next March.

If Infantino travels, he could meet Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, whom the Guardian described as his most credible potential challenger. The Dominican Republic football association invited Infantino before controversy emerged last month over the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. The country's federation has since backed a joint statement from UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation seeking an independent review of that proposal and an emergency FIFA Council meeting.

The Guardian reported that Infantino sees the CFU meetings as an opportunity to seek support from smaller Concacaf nations and weaken the coalition opposing him. Mexico has backed Infantino despite Concacaf's position, while CFU members Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis have also offered support. Panama is understood to have endorsed him privately but has not publicly confirmed a position.

UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC are continuing to consider whether to call for a vote of no confidence, according to the report. FIFA's statutes allow its council to convene an extraordinary congress if 43 of the organisation's 211 member associations submit a written request setting out proposed agenda items. Such a congress must be held within three months, although the statutes do not contain a specific provision governing a no-confidence vote in the president.

Pressure increased on Thursday when fan groups from all six FIFA confederations supported a petition calling for Infantino to resign. The campaign centres on opposition to the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. For now, the Dominican Republic trip remains a reported plan rather than a confirmed engagement, while the positions of individual associations and any formal effort to force a confidence vote remain unsettled.