Latest / GNN Daily Breaking News / Infantino Holds Crisis Meeting in Morocco
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: FIFA President Johnny and Fantino convened a crisis meeting in
- 0:04Speaker 1: Morocco this week as the fallout from his abandoned plan
- 0:07Speaker 1: to sell a stake in FIFA's commercial rights continues to escalate.
- 0:12Speaker 1: The proposal, which involved selling twenty percent of a new
- 0:15Speaker 1: FIFA commercial body for four point two billion dollars, faced
- 0:19Speaker 1: fierce opposition from UEFA and several national federations. Critics accused
- 0:25Speaker 1: Infantino of selling the soul of the game, and the
- 0:28Speaker 1: involvement of a company linked to US President Donald Trump's
- 0:32Speaker 1: family intensified scrutiny. Infantino withdrew the plan last Friday, but
- 0:37Speaker 1: the backlash has not subsided. At the meeting, held at
- 0:41Speaker 1: FIFA's Africa regional office near Robat, Infantino gathered senior officials,
- 0:47Speaker 1: including Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom. Internal dissent was evident. Grafstrom
- 0:53Speaker 1: described the episode as a sad and reproachable series of events,
- 0:57Speaker 1: while Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamoor said's staff had been
- 1:01Speaker 1: deceived by what he called the project of one person.
- 1:05Speaker 1: The fallout has already led to resignations. Senior advisor Carlos
- 1:10Speaker 1: Cordero stepped down and arsen Wanger distanced himself, calling the
- 1:15Speaker 1: withdrawal absolutely necessary. UEFA publicly declared it no longer has
- 1:21Speaker 1: confidence in Infantino's leadership, and CONCACAFF joined ninety one national
- 1:26Speaker 1: associations in demanding his resignation. For removal, one hundred and
- 1:31Speaker 1: six nations must support the motion. Infantino's re election bid
- 1:36Speaker 1: for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in March
- 1:39Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven is now in jeopardy. Once seen as secure,
- 1:43Speaker 1: his candidacy faces mounting opposition from European federations and internal critics.
- 1:50Speaker 1: Morocco's football chief, Fuzzy Lectiona, remains one of the few
- 1:53Speaker 1: public supporters, praising in Fantino's withdrawal as a wise move.
- 1:58Speaker 1: The crisis has also drawn political pressure. Jordan's FA president
- 2:03Speaker 1: accused Infantino of blackmail over endorsements tied to the stake sale.
- 2:08Speaker 1: Analysts note that the controversy has weakened FIFA's credibility and
- 2:13Speaker 1: raised questions about governance at the highest level of world football.
- 2:17Speaker 1: For now, Infantino is attempting to shore up support in
- 2:21Speaker 1: Africa and other regions ahead of the March congress. Whether
- 2:25Speaker 1: he can survive the fallout will depend on how federations
- 2:28Speaker 1: respond to the growing calls for change.