Fifa president Gianni Infantino has called an emergency meeting of senior officials in Rabat, Morocco, as pressure builds over the governing body’s abandoned plan to bring private investment into a company set up to run its global tournaments.The meeting, reportedly scheduled for after the weekend, will bring together Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and members of the organisation’s management board.
The move follows public criticism from Fifa’s chief of global football development, Arsène Wenger, who distanced himself from the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, saying he had no role in it and calling Fifa’s decision to scrap the plan “absolutely necessary and beyond question.” Wenger also reaffirmed his support for an independent governing body, insisting Fifa must serve football “with commitment, transparency and integrity.”
The controversy began after reports in The Times and the Financial Times revealed plans for FFE to oversee the commercial and operational management of Fifa competitions, including the sale of a 20 per cent stake to private investors. UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation rejected the plan, with UEFA reportedly threatening to boycott Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, if it went ahead.
Fifa abandoned the project on Saturday, but the backlash against Infantino’s leadership has continued. UEFA says it has “lost confidence” in the Fifa president, and the football associations of England and Wales have withdrawn support, with Scotland understood to be aligning with UEFA.
Fifa Council members are reportedly trying to secure the 19 votes needed to convene a meeting to hold Infantino accountable over the failed proposal and his handling of the Folarin Balogun matter. Officials opposed to Infantino are said to be weighing a “governance boycott” if that effort fails.
Grafstrom told Fifa staff the past week had been a “sad and reproachable series of events,” confirming the project was “permanently abandoned” and pledging to shield employees from the political fallout.
The turmoil follows last week’s resignation of Infantino adviser Carlos Cordeiro. While Infantino retains strong support across Africa, South America and Oceania, Asian member associations are now seen as pivotal. Qatar, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Lebanon have backed him publicly, but Jordan has broken ranks — Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein accused Fifa of “blackmail,” alleging officials suggested funds owed to his federation would be released if he backed Infantino at the World Cup.
Fifa has acknowledged the allegation but declined to comment. UEFA is reportedly weighing legal action and has told its lawyers to preserve all documents linked to the abandoned FFE proposal.
