Gianni Infantino has placed Fifa’s administration of Caribbean nations under separate management from the rest of Concacaf, a decision his critics widely see as an effort to divide the coalition seeking to remove him from office.
Concacaf represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, which had previously been administered together. However, former Switzerland international Gelson Fernandes, a close supporter of Infantino, has reportedly been named director of member associations for the Caribbean while retaining responsibility for Fifa’s African members.
Fernandes, whose playing career included spells with Manchester City, Leicester and eight other clubs, joined Fifa in 2022 as director of member associations for Africa. Two years later, he was elevated to the position of deputy chief member associations officer worldwide.
The 40-year-old works closely with Fifa’s chief member associations officer, Elkhan Mammadov, an Infantino ally whom several national federations regard as one of the president’s principal power brokers.
Fernandes has succeeded Jair Bertoni as Fifa’s main contact for the 21 Caribbean members. The national federations and Concacaf were notified of the decision last week without being consulted beforehand.
Fifa confirmed the appointment in a statement, saying the change was intended to advance Infantino’s goal of expanding the sport’s global reach.
“Fifa confirms that Gelson Fernandes has assumed responsibility for the Caribbean while continuing in his current position as regional director for Africa,” the statement said. “Drawing on his extensive experience within Fifa and his detailed understanding of football development initiatives, Gelson will oversee the regional team and cooperate closely with Caribbean member associations to strengthen the sport in their countries, in line with the Fifa president’s objective of making football genuinely global.”
Concacaf has joined forces with Uefa and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in an effort to unseat Infantino. Sources from several European and North American member associations believe the administrative change is designed to divide Concacaf’s vote before the presidential election in March. One source described the move as “an administrative battle” against Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.
Many within Uefa consider the Canadian the strongest potential challenger to Infantino. Montagliani has not yet decided whether to enter the race, however, and remains committed to pursuing another term as Concacaf president.
Infantino has intensified his campaign for re-election following controversy surrounding the World Cup sell-off. Last month, he disregarded a written request from Montagliani not to attend a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) meeting in the Dominican Republic.
During the CFU gathering, Infantino announced that numerous Fifa-financed development projects worth millions of dollars had been approved for the region. Some observers interpreted the announcement as an attempt to secure electoral support.
Mexico has broken ranks with Concacaf by publicly supporting Infantino. If his opponents also lose backing from Caribbean members, their campaign to replace him would suffer a major blow.
There are already indications that Infantino’s strategy may be succeeding. Michael Ricketts, president of the Jamaican federation, supported the current leadership this week and compared Uefa’s conduct to that of spoiled children.
“Infantino may have made an error, but his aim was to assist Caribbean nations and other smaller countries,” Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer. “Imagine Jamaica receiving $40m to put into football. Think about the impact that investment could have over four or five years.”
“I do not support Uefa’s position because it seems determined to oppose whoever is in charge,” he added. “Regardless of who serves as president or how successfully that person performs, there will always be objections. In my view, Uefa is acting like a group of spoiled children.”
Uefa’s 55 member associations are thought to remain united, although the strength of the AFC coalition is less certain. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have gone against the wider confederation by declaring their support for Infantino.
Infantino reiterated last weekend that he plans to seek a fourth term. Any rival candidate must formally enter the contest by 18 November.
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