Infantino Meets FIFA Chiefs As Pressure Mounts Over Failed Commercial Plan

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is set to meet senior officials from world football’s governing body in Morocco on Wednesday as growing opposition to his leadership deepens following the collapse of his controversial plan to sell FIFA’s commercial and event operations.

The meeting comes after FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom circulated a strongly worded internal memo to staff criticising the events surrounding the abandoned proposal. It also follows mounting resistance from member associations and senior football figures over the handling of the initiative.

BBC Sport understands the meeting will take place at FIFA’s Africa office in Rabat and will bring together Grafstrom and members of the FIFA management board.

Those expected to attend include 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.

Although the purpose of the meeting has not been officially disclosed, it is widely expected that Infantino will seek to repair damaged relationships and strengthen support for his continued presidency.

Naija News reports that the pressure on the FIFA president intensified on Tuesday when the chief of global football development Arsene Wenger distanced himself from the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise project.

Wenger said he was “not involved” in the proposal and insisted abandoning it was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.

Further criticism came from Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali, who accused FIFA of creating a situation that “amounts to blackmail” over unpaid prize money and backing for Infantino’s re-election.

UEFA announced over the weekend that it had lost confidence in Infantino, while several member associations, including Wales, have withdrawn support for his bid for another term. England is also expected to follow.

Internal discontent has also become increasingly visible. In his message to FIFA staff, Grafstrom described the past week as “a sad and reproachable series of events” that were “difficult to comprehend and accept”.

On Friday, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour claimed the private investment proposal was “the project of one person”, adding that the organisation’s administration had been “deceived”.