FIFA president Infantino holds emergency talks with directors
Infantino has come under increasing pressure over his handling of the proposal
President Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday, amid a wave of criticism over his now shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investment, according to AFP
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within FIFA, over his handling of the proposal, and calls for him to step down have grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.
The proposal to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company that would oversee the commercial and operational management of FIFA’s tournaments, first surfaced in reports by The Times and the Financial Times last Tuesday. FIFA later confirmed key elements of the plan, including its most contentious proposal – selling a 20% stake in FFE to private investors.
The idea faced strong opposition from European football’s governing body UEFA, as well as CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). UEFA even warned it could boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, unless the proposal was abandoned. FIFA eventually dropped the plan last Saturday.
More to follow...
