Embattled FIFA chief Infantino holds emergency talks with directors

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino

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President Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday, a source told AFP, amid a wave of criticism over his now-shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investment.

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Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within FIFA, over his handling of the proposal, and calls for him to step down have grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.

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One of those believed to be at the meeting is FIFA’s secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal email to staff criticising the plan was leaked on Tuesday.

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Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer — who is holding the meeting in FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale close to Rabat — was in Morocco to celebrate last week’s Feast of the Enthronement.

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Morocco is to co-host the 2030 World Cup and Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few to have publicly supported Infantino since the humiliating climbdown.

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Lekjaa last Saturday had praised his “wise” move to scrap the plan in the interests of “unity and cohesion”.

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He reiterated his backing for Infantino for “all the initiatives aimed at the development of world football” during his 10 years in charge.

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Infantino had been basking in the warm afterglow of a highly successful World Cup — the largest ever with 48 teams and co-hosted by three countries, Canada, Mexico and the US.

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His wish to serve a fourth and final term looked likely to be rubber-stamped in Rabat next March — no other candidate had come forward to challenge him.

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However, Tuesday last week all that faded.

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FIFA, world football’s governing body, floated the plan, saying it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

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It said that, if approved, the project could provide each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.

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– ‘Sad and reproachable’ –

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Instead of acting as a sweetener, it produced a furious backlash, with European football’s governing body UEFA resorting on Thursday to the nuclear option of boycotting the sport’s jewel in the crown, the World Cup.

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By Saturday Infantino held his hands up and withdrew the plan.

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“Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve,” said Infantino.

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If he had hoped for that to be sufficient to shore up his authority, he was to be swiftly disabused.

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UEFA termed the proposal a “shabby, back-room, opaque deal” hatched by Infantino.

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“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” UEFA said in a statement.

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North and Central American football’s governing body CONCACAF went further still and called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency” while slamming Infantino’s “poor governance and leadership”.

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Grafstrom’s leaked email only added fuel to the fire.

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He described the fiasco surrounding the proposal as “a sad and reproachable series of events”.

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He added: “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”

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