FIFA President Gianni Infantino has convened an emergency meeting with senior football officials in Morocco as mounting criticism over his abandoned World Cup private investment proposal continues to fuel calls for his resignation.
According to AFP, the high-level talks took place on Wednesday at FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale, near Rabat, amid growing discontent within world football over the governing body’s leadership.
Infantino has faced intense scrutiny since withdrawing plans to open the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup and other major tournaments to private investors.
The proposal, which was shelved last Saturday after widespread opposition, has sparked one of the biggest crises of his presidency.
The FIFA president is also reported to have sought support from former football stars known as FIFA Legends.
However, former Portugal captain and ex-Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder Luis Figo publicly rejected the appeal, urging Infantino to step down.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Figo accused the FIFA president of pursuing reforms that he claimed were designed to benefit a select few.
“I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go,” Figo wrote.
He further criticised the FIFA chief, describing the recent developments as the most “deceitful and self-interested” conduct he had witnessed in football.
Among those believed to have attended Wednesday’s emergency meeting was FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal email criticising the controversial proposal was leaked earlier this week.
In the email, Grafstrom reportedly described the episode as “a sad and reproachable series of events,” while stressing that FIFA’s mission to serve world football must remain above individual interests.
Infantino, 56, had been in Morocco for celebrations marking the country’s Feast of the Enthronement before holding the emergency consultations.
Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, remains one of the few football nations to have publicly backed Infantino following the withdrawal of the proposal.
President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, praised Infantino’s decision to abandon the project, saying it demonstrated wisdom and helped preserve unity within global football. He also reaffirmed his support for the Swiss administrator and his efforts to develop the game.
The controversy has overshadowed what had initially been a successful period for FIFA following the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Before the backlash, Infantino had appeared on course to secure a fourth and final term as FIFA president at next year’s congress in Rabat, with no challenger officially emerging.
The crisis began after FIFA unveiled plans to establish a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), valued at about $20 billion.
The body said the initiative could attract up to $4.2 billion in private investment while increasing financial support for its 211 member associations.
Under the proposal, each member association would have received a one-off payment of $20 million in 2027, while funding for the 2027–2030 cycle would have risen from $8 million to $20 million.
Rather than gaining support, the proposal triggered fierce opposition from football stakeholders.
UEFA condemned the initiative as an opaque deal negotiated behind closed doors and declared that FIFA’s current leadership had lost the confidence of many within the global football community.
The confederation even threatened to boycott future World Cup competitions before Infantino withdrew the proposal.
Meanwhile, CONCACAF also criticised the FIFA president’s leadership, calling for a comprehensive review of his presidency and expressing concerns over governance at the world football governing body.
Despite abandoning the investment plan, the controversy continues to cast uncertainty over Infantino’s future, with pressure growing from football leaders and former players for significant changes at FIFA.