FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing growing backlash over his proposal to open the World Cup to private investment, a plan that was met with widespread criticism and opposition from within the governing body.

Infantino's Proposal Sparks Outrage

The proposal, which was announced last Tuesday, aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion through a new commercial subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). However, the plan was quickly met with opposition from UEFA, which threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if the proposal was not abandoned.

Infantino eventually announced the withdrawal of the proposal on Saturday, but the move has only added to the criticism of his leadership. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was appointed by Infantino as FIFA's chief of global football development in 2019, has spoken out against the proposal, stating that the decision to withdraw it was "absolutely necessary and beyond question".

Wenger's comments were followed by an extraordinary internal email to FIFA staff, seen by AFP, in which secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom appeared to distance himself from Infantino on the issue. Grafstrom described the fiasco surrounding the plan as "a sad and reproachable series of events" and stated that "individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue".

UEFA Threatens Legal Action

UEFA has issued a letter through their lawyers in the US threatening legal action over what they had scathingly described as a "shabby, backroom, opaque deal". The letter, seen by AFP, mentions that the 11 World Cup host cities in the United States are chasing up legacy payments of $1 million each which were "repeatedly" promised to them by FIFA.

UEFA's lawyer, Andrew Levander, stated in the letter that they are actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by FIFA and all related matters.

Infantino's Supporters Flee

Infantino has received some support from a handful of countries, including Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, and Lebanon. However, the criticism from Wenger and Grafstrom, as well as the resignation of Infantino's special advisor Carlos Cordeiro, has dealt a significant blow to his leadership.

Cordeiro, who is also close to US President Donald Trump, resigned on Friday, citing the "unfortunate episode" surrounding the FFE plan. Wenger, who claims to have only learned about the plan through the media, stated that he was not involved in the strategic plan.

Infantino's Leadership in Question

Infantino's leadership is now under scrutiny, with many questioning his ability to unite football. The proposal to open the World Cup to private investment was supposed to be a way to increase revenue for FIFA, but it has only added to the criticism of his leadership.

Infantino has summoned FIFA staff to a crisis meeting in the Moroccan capital as he attempts to cling onto power. However, with several UEFA member associations, including Wales, Finland, Sweden, and Serbia, having withdrawn their letters of support for Infantino, his path to re-election next March looks increasingly uncertain.

Prince Ali bin Hussein, a former FIFA presidential candidate, has accused FIFA of "blackmail" in a statement, claiming that he was told verbally that endorsing Infantino for re-election "could go a long way to helping our FA out". The Jordanian FA president had complained about not being paid for Jordan's run to last year's FIFA Arab Cup final and about its team's fans not being given visas to watch their World Cup debut in the United States.

Infantino's leadership is now under intense scrutiny, and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to recover from the backlash over the FFE plan.

Crisis Meeting Called

Infantino has called a crisis meeting with FIFA staff in the Moroccan capital as he attempts to address the growing criticism of his leadership. However, the meeting is unlikely to ease the tensions within the governing body.

The crisis meeting comes as Infantino's leadership is under intense scrutiny, with many questioning his ability to unite football. The proposal to open the World Cup to private investment was supposed to be a way to increase revenue for FIFA, but it has only added to the criticism of his leadership.

Legacy Payments in Question

The 11 World Cup host cities in the United States are chasing up legacy payments of $1 million each which were "repeatedly" promised to them by FIFA. The payments were part of the FFE plan, which was supposed to raise up to $4.2 billion through a new commercial subsidiary.

UEFA has threatened legal action over what they had scathingly described as a "shabby, backroom, opaque deal". The letter, seen by AFP, mentions that the host cities are chasing up the payments, which were promised to them as part of the FFE plan.

Infantino's Future Uncertain

Infantino's future as FIFA president is now uncertain, with many questioning his ability to unite football. The proposal to open the World Cup to private investment was supposed to be a way to increase revenue for FIFA, but it has only added to the criticism of his leadership.

Infantino has summoned FIFA staff to a crisis meeting in the Moroccan capital as he attempts to cling onto power. However, with several UEFA member associations having withdrawn their letters of support for Infantino, his path to re-election next March looks increasingly uncertain.

The crisis meeting comes as Infantino's leadership is under intense scrutiny, with many questioning his ability to unite football. The proposal to open the World Cup to private investment was supposed to be a way to increase revenue for FIFA, but it has only added to the criticism of his leadership.

Sources

This report was synthesised from the following coverage: