Gianni Infantino has called senior Fifa officials to an emergency meeting in Morocco on Wednesday in an attempt to shore up his position as president, following a wave of criticism over his now-abandoned plan to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.
The gathering comes at the end of a torrid few days for Infantino, whose authority has been increasingly questioned by figures within his own organisation. Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom became the latest senior official to break ranks, describing the scrapped sell-off proposal in an internal staff email as "a sad and reproachable series of events." Arsene Wenger, Fifa's chief of global football development, also distanced himself from the plan, insisting the decision to abandon it was "absolutely necessary" and stressing that Fifa must operate with "commitment, transparency, and integrity."
The backlash has extended beyond Fifa's own corridors. Uefa announced over the weekend that it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership, condemning what it called a "shabby, backroom deal" and confirming it is weighing legal action related to the scheme. That stance has reportedly been echoed by confederations in Asia and the Concacaf region, adding to the sense of isolation surrounding the Fifa president.
A further blow arrived on Wednesday when Prince Ali bin Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, publicly accused Infantino of "blackmail." Writing on social media, Prince Ali detailed a range of difficulties Jordan's federation has faced in recent months before delivering a pointed rebuke. "We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values," he wrote. "We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now. But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that." Fifa has acknowledged awareness of the comments but has not yet issued a formal response.
Internal dissent has also mounted. Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino's senior advisers, resigned last week in protest at the sell-off plans, while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said Fifa staff had been "deceived" over the proposals. The Football Association of Wales has already withdrawn its public backing for Infantino, and reports suggest England's FA is preparing to follow suit.
Despite the mounting pressure, Infantino retains pockets of support. Five prominent figures from the Confederation of African Football, including CAF vice president Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco, publicly reaffirmed their backing for him on Wednesday. National federations from Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have also declared continued loyalty. Infantino has been sharing messages of support from various associations on his personal Instagram account, though he has not appeared publicly since Fifa confirmed in the early hours of Saturday that it was abandoning the World Cup sell-off scheme.
The Fifa president has been based in Morocco since attending celebrations last week marking the 27th anniversary of King Mohammed VI's accession to the throne. The country is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and is understood to be seeking the right to stage the final, adding a layer of significance to Infantino's decision to hold this week's crisis talks there.
Separately, Fifa dismissed as "pure fiction" a report suggesting Infantino had sought backing from Donald Trump's administration in the United States to help him remain in power.
Infantino, who intends to seek re-election next March, now faces the task of convincing Fifa's senior leadership that he remains capable of steering the organisation through its most turbulent period in recent memory, with calls for greater transparency showing no sign of abating.
Based on reporting from The Independent.