Gianni Infantino calls crisis 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’s chief of global football development Arsene Wenger, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, and Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, all made clear their opposition to Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise.

Infantino, who has been in Morocco over the past week, called an executive meeting in Rabat as he attempts to find a solution to the controversy.

Wenger said in a statement issued through Fifa that scrapping the plan was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.

Grafstrom called the last week “a sad and reproachable series of events” in an internal email to Fifa staff.

Prince Ali, meanwhile, accused Fifa of creating a situation which “amounts to blackmail” over unpaid prize money and support for Infantino’s re-election.

Wenger has been in a role which encompasses data analysis of the game, Fifa’s online training and youth competitions, since 2019.

The former Arsenal boss previously supported Infantino’s proposal to play the men’s World Cup every two years.

A week after Infantino’s investment plan was first released, the Frenchman issued a statement through Fifa in which he demanded “transparency and integrity” from the body.

“The recent events at Fifa deserve some clarity from my side,” Wenger’s statement read.

“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.

“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”

Wenger is one of 18 Fifa officials named in a document preservation letter Uefa sent to Fifa threatening legal action.

Carlos Cordeiro – Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance – is the only Fifa official to resign over the scandal, saying the proposal was “a bad deal for football” and would “mortgage football’s future”.