FIFA President Infantino Meets in Morocco Amid Calls for His Resignation

President Gianni Infantino met with FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday. This meeting happened due to heavy criticism over his plan to allow private investment in the World Cup, which he has now put on hold. A source told AFP about the emergency talks.

Infantino is facing pressure from many, even within FIFA. Since he dropped the proposal last Saturday, more people have called for him to resign.

He has reportedly reached out for support from former football stars known as ‘FIFA Legends’. But not everyone is on his side. Luis Figo, a former star of Barcelona and Real Madrid, sent a clear message, “Go.”

Figo wrote in the Daily Mail, “I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go.” He added, “Believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game.”

Figo criticized Infantino, saying, “What I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.” He continued, “The man who would do that, the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends, is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future.”

One person believed to be at the meeting is FIFA’s secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom. An internal email from him criticizing the plan was leaked on Tuesday. Infantino, a 56-year-old lawyer from Switzerland, held the meeting in FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale, near Rabat. He was in Morocco to celebrate last week’s Feast of the Enthronement.

Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup. Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few who has openly supported Infantino since the backlash. Last Saturday, Lekjaa praised Infantino’s “wise” decision to scrap the plan for the sake of “unity and cohesion.” He reaffirmed his support for Infantino for “all the initiatives aimed at the development of world football” during his ten years in charge.

Infantino had been enjoying the success of a record World Cup, the largest ever with 48 teams and co-hosted by three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the US. He seemed set for a fourth term as president, with no challenger in sight for the election in Rabat next March.

But on Tuesday last week, everything changed. FIFA had proposed a plan that could raise up to $4.2 billion, based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial arm called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). This new entity was supposed to manage events like the World Cup and Club World Cup.

FIFA claimed that if the plan was approved, it could give each of its 211 member associations a one-off payment of $20 million by early 2027. It also aimed to increase their funding for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.

Instead of being a good deal, the proposal faced a fierce backlash. UEFA, the governing body for European football, even threatened to boycott the World Cup, the biggest event in football. By Saturday, Infantino had to withdraw the plan.

Infantino stated, “Our purpose has always been, and will always be, to unite and improve.” But this did not calm the situation.

UEFA called the proposal a “shabby, back room, opaque deal” created by Infantino. They said, “The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”

The governing body for North and Central American football, CONCACAF, went even further. They called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency” and criticized Infantino’s “poor governance and leadership.”

Grafstrom’s leaked email added more tension. He called the events surrounding the proposal “a sad and reproachable series of events.” He added, “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”