Fifa president Gianni Infantino faces executives amid criticism
Fifa president Gianni Infantino is scheduled to meet with senior leaders of football’s global governing body today. This meeting comes as criticism intensifies regarding his recently abandoned plan to sell off Fifa’s commercial and event operations. The gathering is understood to be taking place at Fifa’s Africa office in Rabat, Morocco.
The meeting’s attendees are expected to include secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and other members of the Fifa management board. Among those anticipated to be present are finance chief Thomas Peyer, legal chief Emilio Garcia Silvero, chief of staff Daniel O’Toole, chief of member associations Elkhan Mammadov, and media relations director Bryan Swanson. The purpose of the meeting is not entirely clear, but it is anticipated that Infantino will attempt to mend relationships to secure his continued presidency.
Mounting Pressure and Key Questions
The pressure on Infantino has grown significantly following a highly critical internal memo sent by Mattias Grafstrom to Fifa staff. In this memo, Grafstrom described recent events as a “sad and reproachable series of events” that were “difficult to comprehend and accept.” Additionally, 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 had been “deceived.”
Former Portugal international Luís Figo has strongly criticised Infantino’s scheme, calling it “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.” Figo, who has served as a football adviser to Uefa since 2017, has urged the Fifa president to resign to “save football.” He accused Infantino of having “debased the office of Fifa president” since taking office in 2016.
On Tuesday, Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, distanced himself from Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, stating that aborting it was “absolutely necessary and beyond question.” Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, has also accused Fifa of creating a situation amounting to “blackmail” concerning unpaid prize money and support for Infantino’s re-election. These claims have not been independently verified, and Fifa has not commented on them.
Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned on Friday over the plan, calling it “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future.” Cordeiro posed several fundamental questions that Infantino is likely to face, including the rationale behind the deal, its timing, the oversight mechanisms, who benefits, the competitiveness of the process, the governance structure, and the ultimate gains for investors versus the cost to football. Member associations had been given a deadline of 19 September to approve the plan to receive additional funding.
Future of the Presidency
Uefa has expressed a loss of confidence in Infantino’s leadership, and several member associations, including Wales, have withdrawn their support for his re-election. England is also expected to follow suit. Despite this, Infantino has been trying to rally support, with countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, and DR Congo issuing statements in his favour.
It appears unlikely that Infantino will resign from his position by the end of today. He has not indicated any intention to relinquish his role and may view this period as an opportunity to initiate a fightback. This could involve issuing a statement that includes an apology and a commitment to change. Infantino may also need to propose reforms, possibly by implementing additional checks and balances to prevent similar proposals from being developed in the future.
If Infantino chooses to continue, Uefa and other confederations might explore alternative methods to remove him. One option is for the Fifa Council to call an emergency meeting, which would require 19 of the 37 council members to request it. However, there are doubts about achieving the necessary 19 votes. Another possibility is an extraordinary congress of the 211 Fifa member associations, triggered by a written request from one-fifth, or 43, associations. Uefa, with its 55 nations, could initiate this process, which would take at least two to three months. Such a congress would effectively act as a vote of no confidence, requiring 106 votes to pass, giving Infantino time to regain support.
The deadline for announcing a candidacy to challenge Infantino at the Fifa Congress in March is 18 November. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is considered a potential unity candidate against Infantino, who ran unopposed in his re-elections in 2019 and 2023.
Source: bbc.com
