FIFA President Gianni Infantino convened an emergency meeting with senior officials in Morocco on Wednesday as pressure mounted on him to resign following the collapse of his controversial proposal to open the World Cup to private investment.
A source familiar with the meeting told AFP that the talks were held at FIFA's Africa regional office in Sale, near Rabat, amid growing discontent within world football over the governance crisis triggered by the now-abandoned plan.
Infantino has come under sustained criticism from football administrators and stakeholders since withdrawing the proposal last Saturday after fierce opposition from member associations and continental football bodies.
The 56-year-old Swiss administrator is also reported to have sought support from former football stars serving as FIFA Legends, but one of the game's biggest names, former Portugal captain Luis Figo, publicly rejected him.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Figo delivered a blunt verdict on Infantino's leadership.
"I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go," he wrote.
The former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder accused the FIFA president of attempting to force through sweeping reforms for personal gain.
"I have met some rogues in my time in football, but what I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed," Figo said.
Among those believed to have attended Wednesday's emergency meeting was FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal email criticising the investment proposal was leaked earlier this week.
In the email, Grafstrom reportedly described the controversy surrounding the initiative as "a sad and reproachable series of events," while urging staff to remain focused on FIFA's institutional responsibilities despite the crisis.
Infantino was already in Morocco to participate in celebrations marking the country's Feast of the Enthronement. Morocco is set to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Moroccan Football Federation President Fouzi Lekjaa remains one of the few senior football officials to publicly back Infantino following the controversy. Lekjaa praised the FIFA president's decision to abandon the proposal, describing it as a wise move made in the interest of unity, and reaffirmed his support for Infantino's broader efforts to develop global football.
Before the controversy erupted, Infantino had appeared firmly on course to secure a fourth and final term as FIFA president at the organisation's next congress in Rabat in March 2027, with no challenger having officially emerged.
The abandoned proposal sought to establish a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage major competitions, including the FIFA World Cup and Club World Cup.
FIFA had argued that the initiative could generate as much as $4.2 billion through private investment based on a valuation of about $20 billion. Under the plan, each of FIFA's 211 member associations would have received a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, while regular development funding for the 2027-2030 cycle would have increased from $8 million to $20 million.
However, the proposal triggered widespread opposition instead of winning support.
UEFA strongly criticised the plan, describing it as a "shabby, back-room, opaque deal," and threatened to boycott the FIFA World Cup if it proceeded.
Following the backlash, Infantino announced the withdrawal of the proposal, saying FIFA's objective remained to unite and strengthen world football.
The decision, however, failed to calm tensions.
UEFA subsequently declared that the current FIFA leadership had lost the confidence of European football and many other members of the global football community.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also criticised Infantino's leadership, calling for a comprehensive review of his presidency and condemning what it described as poor governance within FIFA.
The leaked email from Grafstrom further intensified scrutiny of FIFA's leadership as the organisation continues to grapple with one of the most serious internal crises of Infantino's tenure.
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