Luis Figo adds to Gianni Infantino’s growing FIFA crisis ahead of Morocco summit

Gianni Infantino arrived in Morocco on Wednesday for a decisive meeting with senior FIFA officials as pressure intensified on the president, with former Portugal international Luis Figo becoming the latest high-profile figure to call for his resignation.

Infantino summoned FIFA’s leading officials to Sale for crisis talks after plans to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup, reportedly worth £3.1bn, were leaked last week. The proposals were later withdrawn following widespread opposition, including resistance from inside FIFA itself.

The FIFA president is now facing an organised challenge from two of the game’s most powerful confederations. UEFA and CONCACAF are both calling for him to step down, while UEFA has formally announced that it no longer supports Infantino’s presidency.

The campaign against the Swiss official gained further momentum when Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, accused him of “blackmail”. Jordan is the first Asian country to rebel against Infantino, according to the report.

Jordan has become the 91st member association to move against the FIFA president, assuming all UEFA and CONCACAF members follow the positions taken by their respective confederations. Infantino’s opponents would need the backing of 106 national associations to remove him from office.

A car carrying Infantino was seen arriving at FIFA’s regional office for Africa in Sale on Wednesday morning, according to the British newspaper the Daily Mail.

The meeting comes as efforts to secure public backing from a group known as the FIFA Legends have failed. The Times reported that people close to Infantino had attempted to persuade the group to issue a statement supporting him, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

The FIFA Legends group includes a number of former international football stars who are paid to attend official events and activities organised by FIFA.

Figo’s decision to join the calls for Infantino’s departure adds to the significance of the Morocco meeting. The former Portugal captain is the latest prominent football figure to oppose the FIFA president at a time when Infantino is attempting to withstand growing criticism from European and other national associations.

The dispute centres on the reported World Cup commercial plans, which triggered the latest wave of opposition before being abandoned. Although the proposals were withdrawn, the backlash has continued, bringing together confederations, national associations and former players who now want a change at the top of world football.

Infantino’s support from Arab and African football is expected to be important as he confronts the European-led campaign against him. His future will depend on whether the opposition can translate its current position into enough votes from FIFA’s national associations to reach the required threshold of 106.