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Infantino Holds Emergency Meeting in Morocco as FIFA Crisis Deepens Fueling Resignation Rumours 

FIFA president, Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with fellow directors in Morocco on Wednesday as pressure mounts over his now abandoned plan to open the World Cup to private investment, with growing calls from within football’s governing body for him to step down.

 

The meeting, held at FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale, near the Moroccan capital Rabat, comes just days after Infantino scrapped the controversial proposal to establish the FIFA Forward Enterprise, a new commercial entity that would have overseen the running of FIFA’s tournaments.

 

The plan, which first emerged in reports by The Times and the Financial Times, included a bid to sell a 20 percent stake in the enterprise to private investors, a move that could reportedly have raised as much as $4.2 billion based on a $20 billion valuation.

 

The proposal triggered fierce opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, with several member associations reportedly threatening to boycott the World Cup if it went ahead.

 

Since Infantino abandoned the plan last Saturday, criticism of his leadership has only intensified, with Jordan becoming the latest football association to join calls for his resignation, bringing the number of countries demanding he step down to 91.

 

Under FIFA’s rules, 106 member nations would need to back such a motion for the president to actually be removed from office.

 

Infantino has reportedly sought support from former football greats known as FIFA Legends in an attempt to shore up his position, but the response has not gone his way.

 

Former Barcelona and Real Madrid star, Luis Figo publicly told him to go, writing in a British newspaper that FIFA’s problems could be summed up in three words, that Infantino must leave.

 

FIFA secretary general, Mattias Grafstrom is also believed to have attended Wednesday’s talks, after an internal email in which he criticised the investment plan was leaked earlier in the week.

 

Despite the mounting backlash, Infantino has retained pockets of support, notably from Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. Moroccan football chief, Fouzi Lekjaa has publicly backed the FIFA president since the climbdown, describing his decision to scrap the plan as a wise move made in the interest of unity.

 

Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines have also declared continued loyalty to Infantino.

 

The controversy marks a dramatic turn for Infantino, who had been enjoying the aftermath of a hugely successful, expanded 48 team World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and had looked set to be handed a fourth term unopposed at FIFA’s Congress in Rabat next March.

 

That path now appears far less certain, with reports suggesting some of football’s biggest confederations are determined to force him out of office before then.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Mubarak Bello

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