Gianni Infantino will remain FIFA president after receiving support from senior executives despite abandoning a £3.1 billion plan to sell World Cup stakes. The Swiss administrator refused to resign during emergency talks held in Morocco on Wednesday.
Senior officials gathered at the Africa regional office of FIFA in Sale, near Rabat, following the leak of the commercial proposal last week. Infantino dropped the plan after widespread opposition from continental governing bodies and an internal rebellion within the organization.
FIFA released a statement late on Wednesday night admitting that mistakes were made during the process. The governing body confirmed it sent a letter of apology to member football associations and announced that a formal review will be carried out.
Despite admitting errors, FIFA insisted that all actions were taken in full compliance with its regulatory framework. The statement added that FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance, and due process, promising to take all necessary measures to protect its reputation.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and other management board members in attendance reaffirmed their full support for Infantino after the meeting. Grafstrom had previously issued an internal memo to staff describing the situation as a sad and reproachable series of events, noting that individuals, unstable moments, and unfortunate episodes come and go. Insiders had described staff morale as rock bottom.
Prior to the statement release, Grafstrom was pictured laughing and joking alongside Infantino while attending a women's Africa Cup of Nations match in Morocco. Infantino faces re-election in March and requires 106 votes from the 211 member associations of FIFA to secure another term in office.
Opposition from continental governing bodies
Pressure on Infantino has intensified across global football administration. European governing body UEFA declared a lack of confidence in the FIFA president, branding his proposal to sell commercial and event operations a shabby, back room, opaque deal.
CONCACAF, the governing body for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, has also called for Infantino to step down. Jordan Football Association President Prince Ali bin Hussein accused Infantino of blackmail, making Jordan the 91st member association to move against the FIFA president and the first from Asia.
A total of 106 member associations would be required to depose Infantino from his position. Prince Ali previously ran against former FIFA President Sepp Blatter in 2015, withdrawing after the second round of voting before Blatter resigned four days later amid widespread backlash.
Criticism from Luis Figo
Former Portugal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan midfielder Luis Figo launched a fierce attack on Infantino in a 601-word article published in Daily Mail Sport. The 53-year-old former player called for Infantino to resign immediately.
Figo wrote that he could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA, but stated that the solution needs only three: Infantino must go. He described the World Cup sell-off proposal as the lowest, most deceitful, and cravenly self-interested behaviour he had ever witnessed, calling it a grubby, underhand plot.
Figo, who backed Infantino in 2015 and is considered a potential successor to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, accused the FIFA president of a litany of abuses. He wrote that Infantino had debased the office of FIFA president that he promised to elevate, adding that Infantino has lied, deceived, and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.
In his article, Figo questioned why Infantino failed to inform member associations about the plan before the World Cup final or explain the risks associated with private equity investment. Figo alleged that the project would have disinherited future administrators from ownership of the World Cup while creating a $30m a year job for Infantino, paying five times his current salary, after delivering the tournament to associates in Washington, D.C.
Figo also highlighted FIFA's $5 billion financial reserves, questioning how many shares that money could buy in the scheme. Beyond the sell-off proposal, Figo cited Infantino's decision to suspend the ban for United States striker Folarin Balogun after a World Cup red card, as well as a final half-time show that he said broke the laws of the game.
Internal fallout and lack of support
The failed proposal has created significant friction within FIFA management. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour stated that he was deceived by the project, while Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger has distanced himself from the plan.
Efforts by Infantino's allies to secure public backing from FIFA legends have failed, according to reports in The Times. Former international players who are paid to appear at official FIFA events have reportedly declined requests to publicly defend the under-fire president.
