Kharja attacks UEFA and Figo over opposition to Infantino’s FIFA investment plan

Houssine Kharja has defended Gianni Infantino as the FIFA president faces mounting criticism over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project, while accusing UEFA of hypocrisy and Luis Figo of making a “pathetic” intervention.

FIFA Forward Enterprise was proposed as a way of privatising stakes linked to the World Cup. The plan was initiated by Infantino but never came to fruition after strong opposition, led by UEFA.

The European governing body has remained one of Infantino’s most vocal critics and is pushing for the Italo-Swiss president to be removed from office. Kharja, however, said he did not understand UEFA’s hostility towards the proposal.

Speaking in an extended interview with Soccer212, the former Morocco international argued that FIFA had not attempted to force the project on national associations. Instead, he said, each federation would have been free to decide whether to support or reject the plan.

Kharja also criticised UEFA’s motives, accusing the organisation of acting out of self-interest. In his view, UEFA may be concerned that the project could encourage the development of smaller football nations and create greater competition.

The former Inter Milan player said UEFA’s position was also inconsistent. He pointed to the involvement of private finance in competitions under the organisation’s own authority, arguing that it was contradictory to condemn the proposed privatisation of World Cup interests while allowing similar forms of private funding elsewhere in European football.

“UEFA is hypocritical,” Kharja said, according to the position attributed to him in the interview.

He also used the opportunity to criticise Figo, who has previously called for Infantino’s resignation. Kharja suggested that the former Portugal international should not have made that intervention, describing what Figo said as “pathetic”.

The comments come as Infantino remains under pressure over FIFA Forward Enterprise. The project’s failure followed a broad backlash against the proposal, with UEFA at the centre of the opposition that ultimately led to its collapse.

Kharja’s defence is based on the view that the plan was optional rather than compulsory. He believes that FIFA’s member associations should have been allowed to assess the proposal individually, rather than seeing it rejected through opposition from UEFA.

The former Morocco international therefore placed the dispute within a wider argument about power, competition and access to investment in football. He claimed that UEFA’s objections were less about the principle of privatisation than about protecting its own position and limiting the emergence of smaller nations.

His criticism extended beyond the European governing body to one of the most prominent former players to oppose Infantino. By challenging Figo’s call for the FIFA president to resign, Kharja has made clear where he stands in the dispute surrounding FIFA Forward Enterprise.