Infantino calls executive meeting as criticism mounts
Gianni Infantino has summoned senior leaders of football's world governing body to a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, after another day in which its president has faced fierce criticism of his plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino has convened a secret executive meeting in Morocco to address mounting criticism surrounding his plan to sell off the organization's commercial and event operations. Senior leaders, including Arsene Wenger, Mattias Grafstrom, and Prince Ali of Jordan, have voiced their opposition to Infantino's proposal, dubbed the Fifa Forward Enterprise.
Wenger, in a statement, emphasized the necessity of scrapping the plan, calling it "absolutely necessary and beyond question." Grafstrom labeled the events of the past week as "a sad and reproachable series of events" in an internal email to Fifa staff. Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, accused Fifa of resorting to blackmail by withholding prize money earned from their loss in the Fifa Arab Cup, threatening to use this as leverage for their support in Infantino's re-election campaign.
Wenger, who has been involved in data analysis, online training, and youth competitions since 2019, had previously supported the proposal to play the men's World Cup every two years. He demanded "transparency and integrity" from Fifa following the controversy. Grafstrom, a close ally of Infantino, described the events as "difficult to comprehend and accept" in a memo to staff, urging the administration to remain focused on serving football and its member associations.
Prince Ali, who has twice run for the Fifa presidency, accused Fifa of withholding prize money earned from their loss in the Arab Cup, alleging that Jordanian supporters were denied U.S. visas to attend their debut World Cup appearance. Fifa has not commented on the matter.
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