FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called an emergency meeting of senior officials and staff in Rabat on Wednesday as pressure continues to mount over the abandoned plan to bring private investment into the organisation’s World Cup business, the Press Association understands.
The meeting comes after former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, broke his silence on Tuesday by distancing himself from the proposal. Wenger said he was “not involved” in the plan to seek private investment in a company that would manage the World Cup and insisted that withdrawing the project was “absolutely necessary and beyond question.”
According to PA, the meeting was arranged after the weekend and will include FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and members of the FIFA management board. Those expected to attend include chief of staff Daniel O’Toole, chief legal officer Emilio Garcia Silvero, chief of member associations Elkhan Mammadov, human resources chief Kimberly Morris, media director Bryan Swanson and communications director David Farrelly.
Grafstrom, FIFA’s second most senior official after Infantino, has also contacted staff following what he described as a “sad and reproachable series of events” over the past week. He welcomed the decision to permanently abandon the project.
The proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise, known as FFE, first emerged in reports by The Times and the Financial Times last Tuesday. FIFA later confirmed elements of the plan, including a proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in the new company to private investors. FFE would have managed the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup.
The proposal immediately faced strong opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. UEFA also threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, unless the plan was scrapped. FIFA officially abandoned the proposal last Saturday.
Efforts are continuing among FIFA Council members to secure the 19 votes needed to demand a formal meeting with Infantino over the FFE proposal and his handling of the Folarin Balogun case.
According to PA, if the required majority cannot be reached or Infantino refuses such a request, Council members opposed to him are prepared to stage a governance boycott that would effectively prevent FIFA from operating.
Wenger acknowledged the controversy surrounding the proposal after facing criticism for remaining silent. He welcomed the decision to withdraw the project and added: “I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
Grafstrom also thanked FIFA employees for their work during the World Cup but admitted they had been “thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept.”
He assured staff that they would be “defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience,” before adding: “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”
The latest developments follow the resignation of Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro last week. FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also criticised the situation in comments to the Associated Press, saying staff members had been “deceived” by the FIFA president.
While Africa, South America and Oceania are largely expected to continue backing Infantino, support from Asia could prove decisive. Football associations in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Lebanon have publicly supported him.
Jordan has taken the opposite stance. Its football association president, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, accused FIFA of “blackmail” in a post on X, alleging the organisation told him during the World Cup that his association would receive money it was owed if he voted for Infantino. FIFA is aware of the allegation but has not responded publicly.
Meanwhile, UEFA has informed Infantino that it is “actively considering” legal action over the FFE proposal. Lawyers representing the European governing body have instructed Infantino and other FIFA officials to identify, preserve and secure all documents related to the abandoned project.
