President of the Jamaica Football Federation, JFF, Michael Ricketts, believes FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to enjoy significant support among Caribbean Football Union, CFU, members, despite anger in the region over the way the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was introduced.
Ricketts acknowledged that Caribbean football administrators were upset by what they regarded as a lack of consultation and transparency surrounding the controversial proposal, which envisioned the creation of a commercial entity with an estimated valued of US $20 billion and the sale of a 20 percent stake to private investors.
The proposal triggered widespread opposition across world football, with concerns centering on the ownership and commercialisation of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
FIFA subsequently abandoned the Forward Enterprise plan amid mounting pressure.
Infantino attended the Caribbean Football Union Under-14 Challenge Series in the Dominican Republic in August, despite a request from Concacaf President Victor Montagliani that he reconsider attending.
Ricketts said the FIFA president was warmly received and suggested that the visit may have helped him regain goodwill among Caribbean football leaders.
Montagliani has emerged as a potential challenger to Infantino in the next FIFA presidential election due next March in Morocco.
International reports have identified the Canadian football administrator as one of the possible candidates who could seek to unseat Infantino.
However, Ricketts said there has been no clear official indication from Montagliani that he intends to challenge Infantino.
Michael Ricketts.
