FIFA President Gianni Infantino is set to hold a crucial meeting with senior FIFA officials in Morocco on Wednesday as he attempts to contain growing unrest within world football’s governing body. The meeting comes days after Infantino abandoned his controversial proposal to sell a minority stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup, a plan that sparked widespread backlash from national associations and regional confederations. The proposal, which sought to raise billions of dollars through private investment, drew criticism over its structure and transparency.
While Infantino withdrew the plan last week, the decision has failed to ease concerns about his leadership. UEFA has publicly stated that it no longer has confidence in the FIFA president, while the controversy has cast fresh doubt over his bid for a fourth term ahead of the FIFA Congress scheduled to take place in Morocco next year.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent an internal memo to staff lamenting the “sad and reproachable series of events” that led to the project being “permanently abandoned”, two sources told Reuters.
“Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue …” the Swede added in the letter, which made no mention of Infantino by name.
His words echoed those of FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who said last week that staff had been “deceived” over the plan, which he described as “the project of one person”.
Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest at the plan last week, and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger distanced himself from it on Tuesday.
Survive Seven Months Until The Election
Infantino has spent the last week in Morocco, which will co-host the next World Cup in 2030 and whose football association have already announced their continued support for him.
The first order of Wednesday’s meeting at FIFA’s Africa office in Sale, which sits across the Bou Regreg river from the Moroccan capital Rabat, is likely to focus on ensuring that Infantino at least survives the seven months until the election.
An Extraordinary Congress could be called if 43 or more FIFA member associations make a formal written request for one.
According to a report in the Times of London on Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are determined to force Infantino out of office by paralysing FIFA and even starting up their own competitions if he refuses to go.
CONCACAF, which runs soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the AFC have backed UEFA’s position, even if not every national association will follow their confederation’s lead.
Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have declared their loyalty to Infantino in the face of the AFC’s stance.
African Administrators Back Infantino
Leading African football administrators have sent messages of support as Infantino looks to the continent’s 54 members for backing. The African confederation (CAF) has yet to take a stance.
The executive committee of the smallest and least wealthy confederation, Oceania, will meet next Wednesday to discuss their approach.
“I think it’s going to be really interesting for the international football community over the next few weeks,” New Zealand Football boss Andrew Pragnell told Reuters on Tuesday.
“It’s really important for a country like New Zealand to make a lot of contact with its confederation. It helps when you act in unison with your confederation.”
Under FIFA rules, the vote of San Marino, whose men’s team is ranked 211th and last in the world rankings, counts as much as that of World Cup winners Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Spain.
One clear advantage for Infantino as he looks to extend his presidency until 2031 is that no clear candidate to stand against him in March’s election has yet emerged.
(With inputs from Reuters)
