Luis Figo urges Gianni Infantino to quit FIFA over controversial World Cup investment plan

Luis Figo has called for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA president, accusing him of pursuing a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to investors for personal and political gain.

The former Portugal, Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder made the accusations in an article published by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.

“I could write 10,000 words about FIFA’s problems. But the solution needs only three words: Infantino must go,” Figo wrote.

Figo, who spent 20 years as a professional footballer, said he had encountered “some rogues” during his career but described the events of the past 10 days as the worst conduct he had witnessed in football.

“I have loved football all my life. I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game… but what I have seen unfolding over the past 10 days is the most debased, deceptive and cowardly selfish behaviour I have ever witnessed,” he said.

The 53-year-old accused Infantino of trying to force through major changes in order to benefit himself and his associates.

“The man doing this – the man trying to impose such major changes simply to enrich himself and his friends – is a relic of the game’s past, and should have no role in its future,” Figo said.

His criticism centres on a proposal to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors. Figo questioned why FIFA members had not been told about the plan when they were all gathered in the same room before a World Cup final.

“If the idea was so good, why didn’t you tell your members when they were all gathered in one room before a World Cup final?” he wrote. “If the plan is so strong and robust, why didn’t you tell your members about the risks as well as what you describe as the benefits?”

Figo also claimed Infantino had failed to make clear that the proposal could lead to him receiving an annual salary of $30m.

“If the idea was so obvious and a no-brainer, why weren’t you honest about the fact it would result in a $30m-a-year job for you?” Figo said.

“But none of this happened. Because it is not a good idea. It is not robust when you fail to be transparent about the crippling returns private capital always seeks, and it is not bold when you fail to explain that once you sell your stake, it is gone forever, and you have deprived your successors of ownership of the World Cup.”

Figo added that the proposal was not honest because, he claimed, it would hand ownership of the World Cup to Infantino’s “friends in Washington”, who would then offer him a job worth five times his current salary.

He linked the latest dispute to other controversies surrounding FIFA and the 2026 World Cup.

“None of this is surprising when you look at the catalogue of abuses he has inflicted on football’s reputation; from suspending and reversing disciplinary decisions, to breaking the laws of the game because of a half-time show, nothing gets in the way of pleasing his friends,” Figo wrote.

He also referred to comments made by Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, saying they highlighted “the gangster-like behaviour of Infantino’s FIFA”.

Figo alleged that FIFA had obstructed the work and funding of the Jordan Football Association in an effort to secure a letter of support for Infantino’s candidacy and allow what he called “this terrible era of selfishness” to continue.

He concluded by comparing the proposal with the European Super League, saying both plans had been exposed by the media before their supporters could organise their public response.

“This plan – like the Super League before it – blew up because the media exposed all its twists and deceptions before its supporters could get their messages in order,” Figo said. “And thank goodness it blew up.”