UEFA piles pressure on Infantino with expanded Nations League talks
· Yahoo Sports
UEFA is ramping up the pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino by holding talks over an expanded Nations League which would involve non-European teams.
The Press Association understands, as per an initial report in The Guardian, that European football's governing body is in discussions with CONCACAF, the confederation which represents the nations of North and Central America plus the Caribbean.
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The talks could lead to an expansion of the Nations League as early as the 2028-29 edition, sources have indicated.
The discussions are a further indication of UEFA and CONCACAF working together on pan-continental competitions to the exclusion of FIFA, with their presidents, Aleksander Čeferin and Victor Montagliani, both understood to be of the view that FIFA president Gianni Infantino should resign and leave his position with dignity, rather than challenge for re-election amid the controversy surrounding his failed plan to involve private investors in the running of the World Cup and other FIFA events.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is also believed to be involved in the Nations League talks, but with a view to joining at a later point.
The tournament with the addition of CONCACAF nations would not occupy any extra space in the international calendar, with the league phase running across the autumn 2028 windows and the finals taking place in March and June of the following year.
Meanwhile, Infantino is currently expected to attend a youth football event in the Dominican Republic this weekend, which would give him an opportunity to try to shore up support among CONCACAF's Caribbean nations. Some have already publicly expressed their support - such as St Kitts & Nevis, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda.
The Press Association understands there was a long-standing invitation for Infantino to attend, sent prior to the emergence of the private investor scandal.
Should he attend, it would likely bring him face to face with CONCACAF president Montagliani, who many observers see as a potential challenger for the FIFA presidency.