Gianni Infantino calls Fifa crisis meeting after being accused of blackmail and deception
- Fifa President Gianni Infantino has called a crisis meeting in Morocco amid growing pressure and criticism over his abandoned plans to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.
- Senior Fifa figures, including secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and chief of global football development Arsene Wenger, have publicly criticised Infantino’s proposals, with Grafstrom describing them as “a sad and reproachable series of events”.
- Infantino faces accusations of “blackmail” from Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein, while Uefa has declared a loss of confidence in his leadership and is actively considering legal action regarding the scrapped sell-off scheme.
- Further opposition includes the resignation of senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro and claims from chief operating officer Kevin Lamour that staff were “deceived” over the plans, with the Football Association and Football Association of Wales also withdrawing support.
- Despite the widespread criticism, Infantino has received public backing from five influential African football figures, including CAF Vice President Fouzi Lekjaa, alongside federations from Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.
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