Gianni Infantino defied a request from one of his FIFA vice presidents to stay away from an under-14 soccer event in the Caribbean and instead made a rare public appearance during the global furor over his failed plan to sell future World Cup profits to private investors. On Saturday, Infantino posted photos on his Instagram account showing the FIFA president meeting with political and soccer officials from the Dominican Republic on the sidelines of a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament in the Punta Cana resort. On Friday, Victor Montagliani, Canadian president of CONCACAF, a continental soccer body based in Miami, had asked Infantino not to go to avoid being a distraction from soccer matches. “I believe that considering the governance crisis surrounding FIFA as a result of its controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, the media will focus on this situation,” Montagliani wrote in an emailed letter seen by The Associated Press, “which unfortunately will significantly downplay the technical nature of the CFU youth competition.” “I therefore respectfully ask you on behalf of football to reconsider your attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity,” Montagliani wrote. Read moreKevin Lamour, senior FIFA official, leaves after criticizing Gianni Infantino. FIFA declined to comment on Montagliani’s request, although it noted that it directly funds regional bodies like the CFU with up to $5 million from each four-year World Cup cycle. Montagliani has aligned himself with fellow Fifa vice presidents Aleksander Ceferin of European body UEFA and Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in seeking to end Infantino’s increasingly executive presidency, now in its 11th year. Infantino was accused two weeks ago of “deception” by secretly plotting over the past year to spin off FIFA’s multibillion-dollar business activities to a subsidiary 20% owned by investors led by Joshua Kushner. Infantino withdrew the project on August 1 amid a global backlash from soccer leaders and fans, and hours after his own chief operating officer published harsh criticism of the proposal and his leadership style in a statement to the AP. Zurich-based chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was fired this week. Read moreFIFA closes ranks around Infantino amid growing leadership crisis Caribbean member federations are seen as potential supporters of Infantino relinquishing his CONCACAF leadership. South American body CONMEBOL has backed Infantino as its best path to hosting more games in the 2030 World Cup, which it wants to expand from 48 teams to 64. The FIFA leader has not answered questions publicly since the $20 billion FFE project was revealed on July 28 by British newspaper The Times, and on Friday in Punta Cana he evaded a reporter from British broadcaster Sky News. When asked by Sky journalist James Matthews if he had betrayed the sport and should resign, Infantino said “thank you very much” and made jokes about both men being bald. Infantino aspires to be re-elected for a fourth and final term until 2031 at the FIFA electoral congress next March in Rabat, Morocco. FIFA has set November 18 as the deadline for potential candidates to enter the race. (FRANCE 24 with AP)