Africa’s football leadership faces a new global governance debate as the AFC joins UEFA and Concacaf in demanding transparency, accountability and an independent review of recent FIFA decisions.

A new fault line has emerged at the top of world football.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Concacaf and UEFA have jointly challenged the way FIFA has handled a series of recent decisions, calling for greater transparency and an independent examination of the events.

In an open letter addressed to the global football community on Monday, 10 August 2026, the three confederations argued that football governance must remain a collective responsibility.

African football part of a wider governance debate

Although the letter is not directed exclusively at African football, the position taken by the AFC alongside UEFA and Concacaf is significant for the continent.

African football associations are among the members whose interests and voting rights are directly connected to FIFA’s global decision-making structures.

The three confederations insist that major developments affecting international football must be discussed and decided collectively.

They specifically reject any suggestion that their concerns are motivated by financial interests.

World Cup expansion not under threat

The confederations made an important distinction in their statement.

They said they are not seeking to reverse the expansion of competitions or the allocation of World Cup places. They also stressed that existing financial support to member associations should not be withdrawn.

Their concern, they say, is about the integrity of the decision-making process.

That distinction could be particularly important for African football, which has benefited from the expansion of the FIFA World Cup and the increase in opportunities for African national teams.

A controversial World Cup proposal

At the heart of the dispute is a FIFA proposal involving the sale of a participation in the World Cup.

The AFC, Concacaf and UEFA argue that the proposal was developed under an unusually tight timetable and without adequate consultation with member associations.

They reject FIFA’s description of the situation as primarily a communication failure, calling instead for an examination of what they consider a serious failure of judgement.

Independent review demanded

The three confederations are calling for an investigation by an independent third party.

They argue that FIFA should not investigate itself and that its administration should have no role in conducting the review.

They have also requested that all relevant documents and records connected to the matter be preserved.

Morocco meeting raises further questions

The statement also refers to a FIFA leadership meeting held in Morocco.

The confederations say that only one elected FIFA official attended, while FIFA Council members and member associations were not invited. Instead, the meeting involved senior FIFA employees.

They argue that the circumstances surrounding the meeting reinforce concerns about transparency and accountability.

A call for collective leadership

The strongest message from the three confederations is political rather than financial.

They argue that leadership in football should be viewed as a responsibility entrusted by the football community, rather than as personal power.

For African football, the debate matters beyond the current controversy. FIFA governance directly affects the distribution of development resources, international competitions, World Cup opportunities and the broader relationship between the global governing body and national associations.

The joint position of the AFC, Concacaf and UEFA therefore represents a significant call for a more collective model of football governance.

The message from the three confederations is ultimately straightforward: football should be governed through accountability, transparency and unity — not concentrated power.

Open Letter to the Football Family

Monday, 10 August 2026

Joint letter from the AFC, Concacaf and UEFA

Dear football family,

Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual or institution.

It belongs to the players, the supporters, the clubs, the member associations and all the institutions entrusted with safeguarding its future.

It is in this spirit that, as Confederations representing our members, we speak collectively today.

The progress made over the past decade is real. But these advances have never been the work of a single individual. They are the result of the joint efforts of FIFA, the Confederations, the member associations and the thousands of people who devote their lives to football.

The expansion of competitions, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, as well as the distribution of resources to the associations: all of these are collective achievements, decided together and implemented together.

This is not about money. The Confederations have already called for the responsible use of FIFA’s substantial existing reserves in order to further strengthen investments in the development of member associations.

Nor is it about depriving any member association of the support it has secured, despite alarmist campaigns aimed at making our members believe otherwise.

Nor is it about reversing the expansion of competitions, the allocation of places for the World Cups or any other decision taken collectively. These decisions were made together and must be respected.

It is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game and the integrity of those who are elected to lead it.

Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power in order to retain it. It is a mission in the service of the football family that entrusts you with this responsibility.

When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places themselves above the collective that entrusted them with their authority, that mission is abandoned.

FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and the 211 member associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It presents this situation as a failure of communication, whereas what football has witnessed is a failure of judgment.

A proposal developed within an extremely tight timeframe, without genuine consultation, and then pushed towards a deadline before the member associations could properly examine its terms, is not simply an oversight. It is an approach designed to limit scrutiny and oversight.

FIFA has not acknowledged that the proposal itself was fundamentally flawed.

It still does not acknowledge that the attempt to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup constituted a profound failure of judgment — not merely a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions that FIFA is tasked with serving.

FIFA has also committed to presenting a comprehensive report on these events to the FIFA Council. Once again, it does not acknowledge that proper governance, in the face of such a failure of judgment, requires such a review to be conducted by a completely independent third party, and not by FIFA itself, its employees or any football stakeholder whatsoever.

FIFA’s administration should play no role in conducting this review.

As stated in our previous correspondence, all relevant documents and records must be preserved in accordance with UEFA’s instructions regarding document preservation.

FIFA’s own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the management meeting held in Morocco. No member of the FIFA Council or any member association was invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of senior officials employed by FIFA, was present.

This recent meeting, during which a limited number of members of FIFA’s management committee — rather than the entire committee — were summoned abroad, instead of having the leadership travel to Zurich to respond directly to the concerns at the heart of FIFA, with its staff, only serves to reinforce these concerns.

It represents a continuation of the same pattern of conduct that has brought us to the current situation.

This is not the behaviour of a guardian of football, but that of someone who believes that football should be accountable to them.

There is silence where there should be accountability.

Distance where there should be transparency.

These are not the qualities that football deserves to find in its leaders.

That is why we have taken this position: neither lightly nor alone, but together, out of duty to the game we serve.

The strength of football has always rested in its unity.

Today, we call for that unity to be respected, for leadership in the service of football and not in pursuit of power intended to control it.

Yours sincerely, dear football family,

Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa
President of the AFC

Victor Montagliani
President of Concacaf

Aleksander Čeferin
President of UEFA

Datuk Seri Windsor John
General Secretary of the AFC

Philippe Moggio
General Secretary of Concacaf

Theodore Theodoridis
General Secretary of UEFA