Gianni Infantino

By Reuben Castle — 5 August 2026 — 4 min read

Gianni Infantino, president of Fifa, is scheduled to meet with senior leaders of football’s global governing body on Wednesday. This meeting follows intensified criticism regarding his recently abandoned proposal to sell off Fifa’s commercial and event operations.

The gathering in Morocco comes after secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a critical internal memo to Fifa staff. Arsene Wenger, chief of global football development, stated he was not involved in Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, adding that its cancellation was “absolutely necessary and beyond question.”

Key Concerns and Questions

Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, has accused Fifa of creating a situation that “amounts to blackmail” concerning unpaid prize money and support for Infantino’s re-election. These claims have not been verified, and Fifa has not commented, but Prince Ali’s statement reflects strong opposition among some member associations.

Uefa recently expressed a loss of confidence in Infantino’s leadership, and several member associations, including Wales, have withdrawn support for his re-election, with England expected to follow. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned over the plan, calling it “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future.”

Cordeiro’s resignation announcement included several questions that Infantino may face at the meeting, such as “Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits? Was there a competitive process? What governance will be in place? What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football?” He noted that these questions remained largely unanswered, despite member associations being asked to make a significant decision within a short timeframe.

Kevin Lamour, Fifa’s chief operating officer, stated that the private investment plan was “the project of one person” and that Fifa’s own administration was “deceived.” Grafstrom described the events of the past week as “a sad and reproachable series of events” that were “difficult to comprehend and accept.”

Meeting Details and Potential Outcomes

The meeting is understood to be taking place at Fifa’s Africa office in Rabat. Attendees are expected to include Grafstrom, Thomas Peyer (finance chief), Emilio Garcia Silvero (legal chief), Daniel O’Toole (chief of staff), Elkhan Mammadov (chief of member associations), and Bryan Swanson (media relations director).

The intention of the meeting is not entirely clear, but it is anticipated that Infantino will attempt to mend relationships and secure his position. However, this may prove challenging given the widespread criticism.

Soccer legend Luis Figo has publicly called for Infantino to resign, describing his conduct as “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.” Figo argued that the individual attempting to force through such significant changes to enrich himself and his associates should not be part of football’s future.

While European, Asian, and North and Central American governing bodies have criticised the proposal, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has not taken a stance. Some African football administrators have expressed support for Infantino, as African football is reportedly more reliant on Fifa’s financial distributions.

Infantino has not publicly addressed allegations of corruption. Fifa previously stated that funds generated from the plan would be reinvested into the sport. Figo, however, criticised the lack of transparency regarding the returns sought by private equity and the permanent loss of ownership of the World Cup once shares are sold.

Despite the current challenges, Infantino has not indicated any intention to relinquish his position and has been working to rally his core supporters globally. Countries including Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, and DR Congo have issued statements in support of Infantino.

If Infantino chooses to continue, Uefa and other confederations may explore alternative methods to remove him. One option is for the Fifa Council to call an emergency meeting, which would require of the council members to request it. Doubts exist, however, about whether the necessary votes could be secured.

Another avenue is an extraordinary congress of the 211 Fifa member associations, which could be convened if one-fifth, or 43 associations, make a written request. Uefa, with 55 nations, could trigger such a congress. This process would take a minimum of two months, or more likely three months, and there is no guarantee of success, as votes would be needed to pass a vote of no confidence.

Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is considered a potential unity candidate to oppose Infantino. However, success is not assured, as evidenced by Sepp Blatter’s re-election in 2015, just eight days before his resignation, even amidst significant scandal.

Inside Fifa, the expectation is that Infantino called the Rabat meeting to address concerns, project unity, and seek alignment with his senior staff. However, the response from those present remains uncertain, particularly given the recent critical statements from Wenger, Grafstrom, and Lamour.

Infantino has chosen Morocco, where he has been based recently, as the location for the meeting. Morocco is set to host the next World Cup, and its national football association has publicly supported him.

Source: bbc.com