FIFA President Gianni Infantino will attend the Concacaf Nations League match between Jamaica and Guatemala on Friday, Sept. 25.
The FIFA president will be welcomed by Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts.
Infantino's trip to Jamaica comes as the president is shoring up support for his re-election campaign. He looked likely to cruise to victory in the March 2027 election, with more than 200 of FIFA's 211 member associations reportedly declaring their support before the 2026 World Cup final.
That was cast into doubt shortly after the 2026 World Cup when he unveiled a plan to invite private equity to take ownership of the World Cup branded FIFA Forward Enterprise. The proposal and the way in which it was announced prompted huge
backlash from stakeholders, forcing Infantino to withdraw the proposal.
He since has apologized and claimed he is open to reforming the organization's structure. No opponent has declared its opposition as the Nov. 18 deadline to do so approaches. But many member associations have withdrawn their support, and Europe's top league sent a letter Friday demanding additional reforms.
The Caribbean, which has 25 FIFA members, is a key voting bloc.
The Caribbean Football Union signed on to an Aug. 10 letter from Concacaf - the governing body of soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean - and its counterparts in Europe and Asia that criticized Infantino's leadership, saying "when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned."
But despite a request from Concacaf president Victor Montagliani to stay away from the event, Infantino attended the CFU's tournament for Under-14 teams in the Dominican Republic and the meeting of Caribbean federation presidents that came with it. There, he was welcomed by Dominican soccer officials and also spoke with Dominican political leaders.
Both Montagliani and Infantino were seen in pictures from events surrounding the youth tournament, and after the event Ricketts told the Jamaica Observerthat the FIFA president was embraced by nearly every CFU president and suggested the plans the incumbent president is advancing would help grow soccer in the country.
"Infantino might have made a mistake, but the intentions were to help Caribbean countries or help smaller countries. Can you imagine Jamaica getting 40 million US dollars to invest in football? Can you imagine the difference that would make in four or five years?"
The JFF president also suggested in the interview that UEFA members were acting like spoiled children and wouldn't be happy no matter who is at the helm of global soccer.
Montagliani has been mentioned by leaders as a potential rival for the FIFA presidency, but it is unlikely the Canadian would run without the support of the Caribbean. Montagliani also is up for re-election in February as president of Concacaf and would find it difficult to campaign for both roles.
FIFA did not immediately return a request for additional insight into how Infantino selects which matches to attend and the rest of his travel schedule during the international window.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA president attending Jamaica-Guatemala game as re-election campaign continues
