Infantino Under Fire as FIFA Support Begins to Crumble
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing an unprecedented crisis following his abandoned scheme, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to sell minority stakes in World Cup commercial operations to private investors.
European football bodies have mounted a coordinated response, with Wales becoming the first national association to formally withdraw backing for his re-election bid, citing governance failures. Other European and CONCACAF federations are now reconsidering their support.
Key internal figures have also distanced themselves. FIFA’s chief of global football development Arsene Wenger stated the project’s cancellation was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.
Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom called the situation “a sad and reproachable series of events”.
Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro has resigned over the proposal.
Further compounding the pressure, Jordan Football Association President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein accused FIFA of withholding Arab Cup prize money and conditioning help on electoral endorsement, writing: “the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that.”
In an effort to manage the fallout, Infantino has called senior leaders to an emergency executive meeting in Rabat, Morocco, as calls for new leadership grow.
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