Infantino refuses to quit as FIFA faces World Cup sell‑off backlash

Gianni Infantino has publicly refused to resign as FIFA president despite a storm of criticism over his aborted £3.1 billion World Cup stake sale, a stance he announced during crisis talks in Sale, Morocco on 5 August 2026. The Swiss administrator, described as "shameless" in the report, vowed to fight on as the governing body’s top brass pledged their full support.

Infantino summoned senior FIFA officials to an emergency meeting in the Moroccan city of Sale after the leaked plan to sell World Cup stakes sparked widespread opposition. The gathering, held on Wednesday, was intended to address the fallout and to reassure member associations of the president’s continued leadership.

Former football star Luis Figo, writing in Sport, launched a 601‑word assault on Infantino, calling the aborted plan "the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self‑interested behaviour" he had ever witnessed. Figo’s blistering article labeled the proposal a "grubby, underhand plot" and demanded the president’s removal.

Following the meeting, FIFA issued a statement indicating that Infantino had survived the crisis for now, apologising in a letter to various football associations and announcing a forthcoming review of the episode.

The statement also noted that FIFA secretary‑general Mattias Grafström, who had previously criticised Infantino, along with other management board members, reaffirmed their full support for the president after the crisis talks.

FIFA added that it would no longer tolerate attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process, pledging to protect its name and reputation while asserting that all actions taken complied with the FIFA regulatory framework.

Figo, a former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan player who backed Infantino in 2015, now brands the Swiss official a "relic who should have no part in football’s future" and accuses him of a "litany of abuses".

UEFA and CONCACAF have both expressed a loss of confidence in Infantino, describing his proposal to commercialise World Cup operations as a "shabby, back‑room, opaque deal".

Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused Infantino of blackmail, making Jordan the 91st member association to move against the president; 106 nations are required to depose him.

If he remains in office, Infantino will face re‑election in March, needing 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 members to secure another term as the global game’s chief executive.