Fifa president Gianni Infantino will meet with senior leaders of football’s world governing body on Wednesday as criticism of his now scrapped plan to sell off Fifa’s commercial and event operations intensifies.
After secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a highly critical internal memo to Fifa staff, Infantino summoned members of the Fifa management board to Morocco. Tuesday also saw chief of global football development Arsene Wenger insist he was “not involved” in Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, adding that aborting it was “absolutely necessary and beyond question”.
Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, then accused Fifa of creating a situation which “amounts to blackmail” over unpaid prize money and support for Infantino’s re-election. These claims have not been verified by the BBC, and Fifa made no comment when approached. But Prince Ali’s statement is indicative of the strength of feeling among the member associations that oppose Infantino.
At the weekend, Uefa said it had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership. Several member associations – including Wales, with England set to follow suit – have withdrawn support for his re-election. Now Infantino will meet with Fifa’s hierarchy to try to secure his position.
