Infantino holds emergency FIFA talks amid growing backlash over leadership

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has held emergency talks with senior directors in Morocco as criticism intensifies over his abandoned plan to open the organisation’s World Cup business to private investment.

The meeting took place on Wednesday at FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale, near Rabat, according to a source cited by AFP. FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom is believed to have attended, after an internal email in which he criticised the investment proposal was leaked on Tuesday.

Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer, has faced mounting pressure from inside and outside FIFA since withdrawing the plan last Saturday. Calls for him to resign have grown, while European football’s governing body UEFA appears to be mobilising against his bid to remain in office for a third term.

The FIFA president was in Morocco to mark last week’s Feast of the Enthronement. Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup, and Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few senior figures to have publicly backed Infantino since his decision to abandon the investment proposal.

Lekjaa described the withdrawal as a “wise” decision taken in the interests of “unity and cohesion”. He also reaffirmed his support for Infantino and “all the initiatives aimed at the development of world football” during his 10 years in charge.

Infantino had appeared to enjoy considerable momentum after what FIFA regarded as a highly successful World Cup. The 2026 tournament will be the biggest in the competition’s history, featuring 48 teams and hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.

His intention to seek a fourth and final term had looked close to certain to receive formal approval at the FIFA Congress in Rabat next March, with no rival candidate having declared an intention to stand.

That position changed sharply after FIFA proposed the creation of a new commercial subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), last Tuesday. The organisation said the company could raise as much as $4.2bn, based on a valuation of $20bn, and would oversee events including the World Cup and Club World Cup.

FIFA claimed the scheme could provide each of its 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20m in early 2027. It also proposed increasing their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8m to $20m.

Rather than winning support, the proposal triggered a fierce reaction. UEFA escalated the dispute on Thursday by raising the prospect of boycotting the World Cup, football’s most prestigious tournament.

Infantino withdrew the plan two days later.

“Our purpose has always been and will always be to unite and improve,” said Infantino.

The move did not stop the criticism. UEFA called the proposal a “shabby, back room, opaque deal” that had been developed by Infantino.

“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said in a statement.

CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North and Central America, issued an even stronger rebuke. It called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency” and criticised what it described as Infantino’s “poor governance and leadership”.

The leaked message from Grafstrom added to the pressure on the FIFA president. Grafstrom characterised the handling of the FFE proposal as “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.”

Despite UEFA’s opposition and the broader criticism, Infantino is more likely to retain the backing of CAF president Patrice Motsepe, even as UEFA appears to be organising against his return for a third term.