Infantino defies FIFA vice president's request to stay away from Caribbean youth tournament

C Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has requested that Fifa president Gianni Infantino refrain from attending a youth football tournament in the Dominican Republic this weekend. In a letter to the BBC, Montagliani cited the governance crisis within Fifa and argued that Infantino's presence would undermine the technical nature of the CFU Under-14 Series event.

The Canadian, also a Fifa vice-president, was invited as a guest of the Dominican Republic, though the invitation is believed to have been issued before his controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, which has threatened his position. Montagliani emphasized that Infantino's attendance would take away from the technical aspects of the important youth development activity.

Despite his warm welcome upon arrival in the Caribbean nation, Infantino faces heavy criticism over his attempt to sell off stakes in World Cup and other competitions via the scrapped FFE proposal. A number of football associations have withdrawn their support, accusing him of breaking trust through deception. However, Infantino still retains backing from South American Confederation Conmebol and African body Caf.