FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, has offered Morocco to host the final of the 2030 World Cup in exchange for receiving support to remain in office, according to the British newspaper “The Times”. FIFA has said this is “false”.
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Infantino, under heavy pressure for his failed initiative to sell shares of the World Cup to private entities, met this Wednesday in Morocco to try to resolve the crisis and, according to “The Times”, his intention is to offer the final of the 2030 World Cup, jointly organized by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal – as well as three matches in South America – to the Moroccans.
Morocco, a great ally of Infantino since he came to power ten years ago, intends to host the final at the Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, while Spain hopes the chosen venue will be the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
Besides several associations having withdrawn their support for Infantino, such as the English, Welsh, and Serbian, very notable former players like the Portuguese Luis Figo have called for his resignation this Wednesday.
The former Portuguese international wrote a column in the British tabloid “Daily Mail” in which he harshly criticized Infantino, who has been under fire in recent days for his controversial decision to sell shares of the World Cup to private entities. An initiative he had to abandon due to public outcry and for which his position is now at risk.
“I could write 10,000 words about the problems in FIFA, but the solution boils down to four. Infantino has to go,” wrote Figo.
“What I have seen in recent days is the lowest, most dishonest, cowardly, and self-interested behavior I have seen. And I have been in football for many years. The man who has done this, forcing such changes to enrich himself and his friends, is something of the past and should not be part of the future of this sport.”
According to “The Times”, Infantino is “desperate” to gain any support that would allow him to stay in office for another four years starting in 2027.
“False and misleading”
After more than seven hours at the FIFA regional headquarters, Infantino left the meeting in Rabat without making statements to the press. Sources close to Moroccan football indicated the possibility that the meeting would resume on Thursday, again at the FIFA headquarters in Rabat.
However, FIFA sources told Efe after the meeting that it is “false and misleading” that president Gianni Infantino has made any promise regarding the venue of the 2030 World Cup final, specifying that a decision will be made “in due course”.
During this Wednesday, European leagues, grouped in the organization European Leagues, again criticized FIFA’s internal decision-making procedures, described as “opaque”, regarding the possibility of expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.
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