FIFA holds crisis meeting to seek a way out

The President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, held a crisis meeting with senior federation officials in Morocco yesterday, amid criticism he has faced following a project that was later abandoned to open the door for private-sector investors to enter the world’s highest football governing body.

The meeting was not open to the media, and no additional information was released regarding the talks. The precise reasons for choosing Morocco to host the meeting remain unknown, although the kingdom will co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

Since assuming the FIFA presidency ten years ago, Infantino has proposed a number of controversial projects, the latest being his announcement last week of plans to create an external company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to manage the federation’s commercial activities and tournaments, such as the World Cup, with the involvement of private investors.

The project was revealed unexpectedly last Tuesday after being published by the media, before ultimately being withdrawn late Friday evening due to widespread opposition from many football stakeholders, including the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

Over the past few days, several senior FIFA officials have distanced themselves from Infantino, including Frenchman Arsène Wenger, the federation’s current Director of Global Football Development, and Secretary General Mattias Grafström.

In a message to FIFA staff seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Grafström expressed regret over a “series of unfortunate and unacceptable events” that “fortunately led to the final abandonment” of the project. Infantino’s chief advisor, American Carlos Cordeiro, resigned on Friday, stating his “firm opposition” to the FIFA president’s project.

The opposition within the international federation adds to external pressures, particularly from the influential UEFA and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), both of which directly criticized Infantino after thwarting the proposal.

Last week, CONCACAF called for a “comprehensive review” of FIFA president’s governance, while UEFA, which had hinted at the possibility of boycotting the World Cup to achieve its demands, said it had “lost confidence” in Infantino.

In a message to FIFA on Friday seen by AFP, UEFA officially announced that it is “seriously considering taking legal action.”

Infantino remains the only declared candidate for re-election as FIFA president at the elections scheduled for March 2027 in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

The 56-year-old Swiss needs a majority of votes from the 211 member associations to win a new, final four-year term. So far, a limited group of associations (Finland, Wales, Serbia, Sweden) has formally withdrawn their support for him.

Prince Ali bin Hussein, President of the Jordanian Football Association, accused Infantino on Tuesday of “blackmail.”

The Jordanian official wrote on the X platform: “For months, FIFA refused to assist us on this or other issues, until I was told verbally during the World Cup that my support for Infantino would significantly help our association.”