UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which runs football in the Caribbean, North and Central America, issued an open letter on Monday attacking FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his conduct during the proposed sale of a stake in the commercial rights ‌to the World Cup.

The statement, which stopped just short of openly calling for a new leadership, said that Infantino had broken trust “through deception” with the now abandoned proposal, had “placed himself above the collective” and the three confederations called for a fully independent review of what had happened.

“Football’s strength has always been its unity,” their open letter to the football family said. “We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”

The Swiss administrator has faced open revolt in the football world since he proposed and then abandoned a plan to carve off the commercial rights to the World Cup and sell 20% of them to ⁠private investors to raise about $4.2 billion.

Sources close to proceedings said the confederations viewed this letter as an opportunity for Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, to quit with his dignity intact.

UEFA, backed by the AFC and CONCACAF, have threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments until they receive a promise that no similar schemes will be proposed in the future.

“Leadership in football is not a possession,” they said in Monday’s statement. “It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.”

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”

The three confederations are investigating the possibility of staging competitions among themselves to give players the chance to compete amid the ongoing crisis with FIFA, the sources said.