Infantino holds emergency FIFA talks in Morocco as resignation calls mount

FIFA President Gianni Infantino convened emergency talks with directors in Morocco as pressure mounts following his withdrawal of a controversial plan to bring private investment into the World Cup. The proposal, which aimed to raise billions through a new commercial subsidiary, faced significant backlash, leading to Infantino abandoning it last Saturday.

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I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go.

The fallout has seen calls for Infantino's resignation intensify, even from within FIFA. Former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Luis Figo directly addressed Infantino, stating, "Infantino must go." Figo criticized the handling of the proposal as "the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behavior I have ever witnessed," adding that such actions belong to the past.

Sources indicate that FIFA's Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal criticism of the plan was leaked, may have attended the meeting. Infantino, in Morocco to celebrate a religious festival, also met with Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa. Lekjaa has been one of the few prominent figures to publicly support Infantino, praising his decision to scrap the private investment plan as "wise" for maintaining "unity and cohesion."

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The man who would do that -- the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends -- is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future.

Infantino, who was expected to secure a fourth term unopposed in March, had been enjoying the success of the expanded 48-team World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the US. However, the leaked plan to create a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), valued at $20 billion and projected to generate up to $4.2 billion, has overshadowed recent achievements.

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