Infantino requested to stay away from youth tournament

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Montagliani said Infantino’s presence could draw attention away from the competition as opposition to his leadership continues to grow.

Pressure on Infantino has reportedly come from three football confederations - European governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which oversees football across North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Calls for him to step down have followed his now-abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

Infantino was expected to visit the Dominican Republic this weekend and attend a competition organised by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

Sky News reported that Infantino was invited to the event prior to officials becoming aware of the plan to sell a World Cup stake to investors, which sparked opposition from fans and football federations.

Infantino was expected to visit the Dominican Republic this weekend and attend a competition organised by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

In a letter sent to Infantino on Friday, Montagliani cited the "governance crisis surrounding FIFA" as a reason for the FIFA president to reconsider attending the CFU U-14 Series event.

"As you may be aware, your proposed attendance has garnered significant media attention," Montagliani, who is also a vice-president on the FIFA Council, wrote.

"...the media will focus on this situation, which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition.

"As such, I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity."

Despite the request, Infantino was welcomed in Punta Cana by the Caribbean Football Union on Friday.

"We deeply appreciate your visit to the Dominican Republic, without doubt that your presence in our country puts us on the international football radar and opens us great prospects for growth and development of Dominican football," Kelvin Cruz, the Dominican Republic's Minister of Sports and Recreation, said in a statement.

Infantino is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president, which would keep him in the role until 2031, but several national associations and senior officials have withdrawn their support.

UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF have accused Infantino of “deception” and are understood to want to give him the opportunity to resign and leave the position without seeking re-election in March next year.

The confederations also want to distance themselves from the ongoing crisis surrounding FIFA.

Infantino has faced further opposition from national associations, including the English FA, Football Association of Wales and Scottish Football Association.