Infantino’s problems mount as Wenger and key Fifa ally turn on him
Fifa's chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, said withdrawing the controversial project was absolutely necessary and beyond question.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino faces mounting pressure as opposition mounts from within the football governing body and external critics. A key ally, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, has criticized the abandoned proposal to open the World Cup to private investment. Secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom also distanced himself from the plan, describing it as a "sad and reproachable series of events."
The plan, which could have raised up to $4.2 billion, was abandoned after widespread condemnation. Uefa threatened legal action over the "shabby, backroom, opaque deal," and several Uefa member associations have withdrawn their support for Infantino. Jordanian FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused FIFA of blackmail. Despite some supporters, including Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, and Lebanon, the challenge for Infantino to unite football seems unlikely while he remains president.
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