FIFA has rejected reports that president Gianni Infantino offered Morocco the right to host the 2030 World Cup final in return for public backing ahead of an election.
The Times reported that Infantino, who is currently in Morocco, had promised the final to the country at the new Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca. The reported proposal was said to be conditional on Morocco publicly supporting him amid growing pressure for him to leave office.
However, a FIFA spokesperson told Spanish newspaper AS: “It is incorrect and misleading to claim that the FIFA president made any promises regarding the organisation of the 2030 World Cup final. FIFA will make its decision in due course.”
Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Three opening matches will be played in South America as part of celebrations marking the centenary of the first staging of the tournament.
Moroccan officials are seeking to stage the final at the Grand Stade Hassan II, which is planned to have a capacity of 115,000. Once completed, it is expected to become the largest football stadium in the world.
The Santiago Bernabeu is regarded as the leading alternative venue for the showpiece match. It has long been considered the favourite to host the final, particularly because of the positive relationship between Infantino and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
AS said that preference had come under renewed pressure because of the increasingly close links between FIFA’s leadership and Morocco.
Relations with Spain under scrutiny
AS reported that Infantino met members of his close circle in Morocco on Wednesday to clarify the positions of those involved in the current crisis. The meeting was also intended to establish a strategy for rebuilding momentum after an unsuccessful attempt to launch a project involving the sale of 20% of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to a range of investment funds, some of which were linked to Donald Trump.
The Spanish newspaper said FIFA’s political relationship with Morocco and its allies had strengthened, while its links with Spain in that area had weakened.
“While FIFA’s political relations with Morocco and its allies have been strengthened, its relations with Spain in this regard have diminished,” AS reported.
It added that the last meeting between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Infantino took place during a short visit to New York a year ago. Infantino has not visited Spain since Luis Rubiales was president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
By contrast, the FIFA president has visited Morocco four times in two years, opened a FIFA office there and arranged for the next meeting of the FIFA Council to take place in Rabat. That meeting will also include elections.
Despite the speculation, the Spanish Football Federation remains confident the final will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. AS said the Bernabeu is the federation’s preferred option of the two Spanish stadiums under consideration, although Spanish officials have recently become more doubtful about FIFA’s behind-the-scenes dealings.
The final venue has not yet been confirmed, with FIFA insisting that a decision will be made at the appropriate time.
