Rabat summit puts Infantino’s FIFA future under scrutiny

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will hold an emergency meeting with senior officials in Morocco on Wednesday as he attempts to contain a deepening crisis threatening his position.

The meeting in Rabat follows Infantino’s decision last week to abandon plans for FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed commercial company intended to manage the governing body’s commercial and operational rights.

The plan included selling a 20% stake in the new company to private investors. It faced widespread opposition from continental and national football associations, along with threats to boycott FIFA competitions.

According to Sky Sports, the decision to withdraw FFE has triggered an unprecedented wave of criticism of Infantino, with several influential figures inside and outside FIFA making public statements on Tuesday that intensified the pressure on the Swiss football administrator.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, said he had not been involved in preparing the project. He described its withdrawal as “absolutely necessary and beyond discussion” and said he believed FIFA must remain an independent organisation operating according to the principles of transparency and integrity.

FIFA secretary general Matthias Grafstrom also wrote to the organisation’s staff, describing the events of recent days as “an unfortunate and unacceptable chain of events”.

Grafstrom thanked FIFA employees after they found themselves at the centre of a political crisis with which they had no connection. He added that the organisation would continue to carry out its responsibilities despite the disruption.

His message came days after the resignation of Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who called the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal “a bad deal for football”.

Further pressure came from Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, who accused FIFA of “blackmail”.

Prince Ali said the world governing body had linked assistance for the Jordanian federation on several issues to a public declaration of support for Infantino in the next election. Those issues included outstanding financial payments and problems faced by Jordanian supporters during the World Cup.

He said the Jordan Football Association was still waiting for the prize money for finishing runners-up at the 2025 Arab Cup. He also referred to the tax burden incurred by the federation because the national team delegation stayed in the United States, as well as difficulties supporters experienced in obtaining travel visas.

“The real problem lies in the leadership,” Prince Ali said, adding that Jordan “will not give its support to Infantino”.

UEFA has also continued to escalate its dispute with the FIFA president. European football’s governing body said it was considering legal action over FIFA Forward Enterprise and requested that all documents and correspondence connected with the proposal be preserved in preparation for an investigation.

UEFA lost confidence in Infantino after the controversy, while several European associations, including England and Wales, withdrew their official backing for his re-election. Other associations are expected to take a similar position.

The former FIFA president Sepp Blatter added to the uncertainty by calling for the first woman to lead the organisation and declaring his support for Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, to succeed Infantino.

Blatter said Klaveness was one of the few figures in global football to maintain an independent position. He argued that the time had come for a woman to head FIFA.

Norway was among a small number of associations that had not announced support for Infantino’s re-election at the March 2027 election.

Asia is expected to be decisive in any potential contest for the FIFA presidency. European associations and those from North, Central America and the Caribbean are expected to support any move aimed at ending Infantino’s tenure, while he continues to retain backing from a number of associations in Africa, South America and Oceania.