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Front Office Sports - The Memo

Afternoon Edition

August 10, 2026

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The leaders of the European, North American, and Asian soccer bodies issued a scathing joint statement against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of “deception” with his failed proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup. 

—Margaret Fleming

First Up

  • Even after acquiring ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers have weakened considerably in a competitive slide that may complicate MLB’s salary cap push.
  • As the timetable tightens in the Rays’ stadium pursuit, Tampa leaders are overhauling the $2.3B funding plan in an effort to push the project over the finish line. 
  • Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler could surpass Tiger Woods’s PGA Tour career earnings record this month, a sign of how dramatically pro golf prize money has grown.
  • The Chicago Sky’s year has gone far worse than their preseason expectations, but the team did find one of the WNBA’s unlikeliest gems in rookie Sydney Taylor.

Infantino Blasted for ‘Deception’ by FIFA Vice Presidents

Henry Romero-Reuters

The leaders of the European, North American, and Asian soccer bodies issued a scathing joint statement against FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Monday.

The “open letter to the football family” accuses Infantino of “deception” with his failed proposal for FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), his short-lived plan to commercialize the World Cup with outside investors.

Infantino is facing a leadership crisis ahead of his attempt to seek reelection as FIFA president in March. Continental bodies and individual national federations have called for him to step down in the wake of FFE’s demise, while others have hurried to support the man who is just one month removed from closing a $15 billion World Cup cycle.

The letter is signed by the president of each confederation—UEFA’s Aleksander Čeferin, CONCACAF’s Victor Montagliani, and the AFC’s Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa—as well as each continental body’s general secretary. The three confederation presidents also serve as FIFA vice presidents.

Much of the criticism is aimed at FIFA’s recent communications in the aftermath of FFE’s demise, accusing the governing body of “fearmongering.” On Aug. 5, after an emergency meeting of top officials in Morocco, FIFA released a statement apologizing for keeping the plan in secret and promising to conduct a review. On Aug. 8, FIFA put out another statement condemning the “concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its President.” That statement came one day after The Telegraph reported that UEFA allegedly paid off a “lover” of Infantino’s while he was the organization’s general secretary.

The continental leaders said Monday that FIFA acknowledged its faults in the process but not in the proposal itself. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgement – not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve,” the joint letter reads.

Also in their letter, the confederations leaders blasted the Morocco meeting, citing that only one elected official had been invited to the meeting held far from FIFA’s Zurich headquarters, and saying the review should be done by a third party, not FIFA.

“It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him,” the joint letter says.

FIFA did not respond to a request for comment about the letter.

Hours after the letter, U.S. Soccer put out a statement saying it stands with other CONCACAF soccer bodies—excluding Mexico—in “calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.” Last week, U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson dodged questions about whether the federation would back Infantino, saying the federation’s board would discuss the topic at its upcoming meeting in September.

UEFA has been the most outspoken against both FFE and Infantino, and it is still moving forward with a boycott of all FIFA events. CONCACAF has been a close second, saying after FFE’s failure: “A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative.” While the AFC previously joined UEFA and CONCACAF in “expressing serious concerns” about FFE, Monday’s letter is the Asian confederation’s biggest attack yet on Infantino’s leadership.

Montagliani’s name has arisen as the likeliest contender to oppose Infantino in FIFA’s election next spring, though he has not announced his intention to run. The Canadian has led CONCACAF since 2016.

The confederation leaders aren’t necessarily speaking on behalf of all of their member associations. Several national soccer federations within the AFC and CONCACAF have already reaffirmed their support of Infantino, including Mexico, Lebanon, Kuwait, the UAE, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

But the three confederations represent a large percentage of FIFA’s membership. Of FIFA’s 211 member associations, 55 are part of UEFA, 35 are in CONCACAF, and 46 belong to the AFC.

The remaining three confederations representing Africa, South America, and Oceania have 54, 10, and 11 member associations in FIFA, respectively. In recent days, CAF said it unanimously supports Infantino, while CONMEBOL said it won’t support an effort to quickly push him out.

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ONE BIG FIG

Questionable for Queens

Mike Frey-Imagn Images

$322

That’s the average get-in price for the US Open, according to TicketData. With 20 days until the tennis tournament begins, get-in prices are running nearly 26% ahead of last year, even as injuries cloud the status of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner on Sunday withdrew from the Cincinnati Open due to an issue with his right knee. His announcement came five days after Alcaraz pulled out of Cincinnati as he continues to recover from a wrist injury that has kept him off the court since April. Alcaraz also missed the French Open and Wimbledon this year, though he is expected to try to compete in New York.

STATUS REPORT

Four Up

Jan 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) runs after the catch against Miami Dolphins safety Ashtyn Davis (21) and cornerback Jack Jones (23) during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Hunter Henry ⬆ The Patriots tight end has signed a two-year extension worth up to $20 million, keeping the veteran in New England through his 13th NFL season. Henry is coming off a career-high 768 receiving yards in 2025 and has logged 40-plus receptions in each of his five seasons with the Patriots.

Mexico ⬆ The U-20 national team won its second consecutive CONCACAF championship Sunday, winning 2–0 after a disputed red card left the U.S. with a man down. Mexico had already secured a spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after its semifinal win over Canada, and both Mexico and the U.S. are now slated to play in the 2027 U-20 World Cup.

Michael Brennan ⬆ The 24-year-old won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, closing with a six-under-par 64 in the final round that earned him a spot in the PGA Tour postseason. Brennan entered the week at No. 105 in the FedEx Cup standings and shot up to No. 47 with the Wyndham victory, his second Tour win in two years. 

Fenway Sports Group ⬆ The Boston-based ownership group has acquired a team in the WTGL, the new women’s professional golf league launching in partnership with the LPGA. The team will compete as Boston Common Golf, one of five inaugural franchises, and marks FSG’s first ownership position in women’s pro golf. 

Editors’ Picks

PIF’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan Joins Trump Amid LIV Golf Funding Push

by Ben Axelrod and David Rumsey
It was Al-Rumayyan’s first LIV appearance since PIF pulled funding in April.

FIFA Alleges ‘Concerted’ Effort to ‘Undermine’ Gianni Infantino

by Ben Axelrod
FIFA said it will not “tolerate” any process inconsistent with its democratic procedures.

Engelbert, WNBA Teams to Discuss Transgender Eligibility Rules

by Colin Salao
The issue was sparked by comments made by Sophie Cunningham.
Events Video Games Shop
Written by Margaret Fleming
Edited by Katie Krzaczek, Ben Axelrod, Catherine Chen

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