FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called a meeting of the organisation’s senior officials in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday as criticism intensifies over his abandoned proposal to sell off FIFA’s commercial and event operations.
FIFA’s chief of global football development Arsene Wenger, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and Prince Ali, president of the Jordanian Football Association, have all publicly opposed the initiative, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise.
Infantino has spent the past week in Morocco and called the executive meeting as he seeks to resolve the dispute surrounding the plan.
Wenger said the proposal’s withdrawal was “absolutely necessary and beyond question” in a statement issued by FIFA.
Grafstrom, meanwhile, described the events of the past week as “a sad and reproachable series of events” in an internal email to FIFA staff.
Prince Ali has accused FIFA of withholding prize money owed to Jordan and of attempting to use the payment to secure support for Infantino’s re-election. He said the situation “amounts to blackmail”.
Wenger has held his FIFA position, which includes responsibility for data analysis, FIFA’s online training programmes and youth competitions, since 2019. The former Arsenal manager had previously backed Infantino’s proposal to stage the men’s World Cup every two years.
However, one week after details of the investment plan were first published, the Frenchman issued a statement through FIFA calling for “transparency and integrity”.
“The recent events at Fifa deserve some clarity from my side,” Wenger’s statement read.
“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity.”
Wenger is among 18 FIFA officials named in a document preservation letter sent by Uefa, which has threatened legal action.
Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, is the only FIFA official to have resigned over the controversy. He said the proposal was “a bad deal for football” and would “mortgage football’s future”.
Prince Ali’s criticism centres partly on prize money Jordan earned after finishing runners-up at the FIFA Arab Cup in December. Before the World Cup final, Infantino said he had received more than 200 letters of support from FIFA’s 211 member associations for his re-election. Jordan was one of the few associations not to endorse him.
Writing on X, Prince Ali claimed the prize money had not been paid and that FIFA had tried to link the matter to political support for Infantino.
“It is clear the problem really is with leadership,” he wrote. “For months, Fifa has been refusing to help us – until it was verbally communicated to me during the World Cup that if I endorsed Infantino it would go a long way to helping our FA out.
“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now.
“But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that.”
Prince Ali has stood for the FIFA presidency twice. He lost to Sepp Blatter by 133 votes to 73 in 2015, with Blatter resigning nine days later. Prince Ali finished third in the 2016 election won by Infantino.
He also alleged that Jordanian supporters holding tickets had been refused visas to enter the United States this summer for the country’s debut World Cup appearance.
FIFA has been approached for comment.
Grafstrom’s criticism is significant because he is regarded as a close ally of Infantino. He became the Swiss official’s chief of staff after Infantino was elected FIFA president in 2016 and was appointed secretary general, one of the organisation’s most powerful roles, in 2024.
In his message to staff, Grafstrom said the previous week had been “difficult to comprehend and accept”.
“A sad and reproachable series of events – which were thankfully concluded with the project permanently abandoned – for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality,” Grafstrom wrote.
“We have all been thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept.
“I urge you to remain focused on what has always united us: serving football and serving our 211 member associations, hand in hand with all relevant stakeholders and in full compliance with the Fifa statutes and Fifa regulations.
“I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience. You do not need to worry.
“Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue, and that is why we should always keep our professionalism, sense of perspective and composure.”
