FIFA President Gianni Infantino has convened an emergency meeting of the organisation’s top executives in Rabat, Morocco, as pressure mounts over the collapse of a controversial proposal to attract private investment into a company that would manage FIFA’s global tournaments.
The high-level meeting, scheduled shortly after the weekend, will bring together FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and members of the governing body’s management board to address the growing fallout from the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
The crisis deepened after FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, publicly distanced himself from the proposal, saying he played no role in the plan to seek private investment in FFE.
Wenger described FIFA’s decision to scrap the project as “absolutely necessary and beyond question,” while reiterating his belief in “an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
The FFE proposal became public last week following reports by The Times and the Financial Times, which revealed plans to establish a new company to oversee the commercial and operational management of FIFA competitions. The plan included selling a 20 percent stake in the company to private investors.
The proposal sparked fierce opposition from major football confederations, with UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rejecting the idea. UEFA reportedly threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, if the plan proceeded, prompting FIFA to permanently abandon the project on Saturday.
Despite the reversal, Infantino continues to face mounting criticism. UEFA has declared it has “lost confidence” in the FIFA president, while the football associations of England and Wales have withdrawn their support. The Scottish Football Association is also understood to share UEFA’s position.
Reports indicate that members of the FIFA Council are working to secure the 19 votes required to convene a meeting aimed at holding Infantino accountable over both the FFE controversy and his handling of the Folarin Balogun case.
Should efforts to secure the required votes fail, or if Infantino declines to approve such a meeting, his opponents are reportedly considering a governance boycott that could significantly disrupt FIFA’s operations.
In a message to FIFA employees, Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom described the past week as “a sad and reproachable series of events,” while welcoming the permanent withdrawal of the investment proposal.
He acknowledged that staff had been caught in a difficult political situation, assuring them that FIFA would protect employees from the ongoing turmoil.
“Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue,” Grafstrom said.
The latest developments follow the resignation of Infantino’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, last week, adding to the growing uncertainty surrounding the FIFA president’s leadership.
While Infantino is still expected to retain strong backing from football associations across Africa, South America and Oceania, the stance of Asian member associations is likely to play a decisive role in determining his political future.
Although countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Lebanon have publicly backed Infantino, Jordan has emerged as one of his strongest critics.
Jordan Football Association President Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein accused FIFA of “blackmail” in a post on X, alleging that the organisation told him during the FIFA World Cup that funds owed to the Jordanian federation would only be released if he voted in support of Infantino. FIFA has acknowledged the allegations but has declined to comment.
Meanwhile, UEFA is reportedly considering legal action over the abandoned FFE project. Lawyers representing the European football governing body have instructed Infantino and other FIFA officials to preserve all documents related to the proposal as the dispute continues to escalate.
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