Portuguese icon Luis Figo has unleashed a stunning tirade directed at Gianni Infantino after the FIFA president survived a crisis meeting of the governing body\u2019s senior leadership team.<\/p>\n
Infantino called the meeting in Morocco after a tumultuous week in which the 56-year-old\u2019s position at the top of the global football food chain came under serious threat, following the backlash to his plan to sell off a stake in the operations of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
FIFA released a statement after the meeting \u2013 which was attended by the organisation\u2019s senior leadership team including Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, who sent an internal staff memo a few days earlier that described the plans surrounding FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) as a \u201csad and reproachable series of events\u201d \u2013 which said that \u201cmistakes were acknowledged\u201d, and \u201cthe process shuold have been handled differently\u201d.<\/p>\n
It also confirmed the controversial proposal is \u201cnow off the table\u201d.<\/p>\n
CIVIL WAR: Under-fire Infantino accused of \u2018blackmail\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n FIFA leadership holds constructive and positive meeting in Rabat, Morocco.<\/p>\n More details: https:\/\/t.co\/6orsmB5FMb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8SQgVzUF1z<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FIFA (@FIFAcom) August 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n But that did little to pacify the uprising emerging from Europe, with former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan star Luis Figo \u2013 who ran for the FIFA presidency in 2015 and is now a UEFA football advisor \u2013 writing a scathing column in the UK\u2019s Daily Mail in which he eviscerated Infantino.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I have seen exposed in the last 10 days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed,\u201d Figo wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThe man who would do that \u2013 the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends \u2013 is a relic of the game\u2019s past and should have no part in its future.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of this comes as a surprise when you consider the litany of abuses he has inflicted on football\u2019s reputation; from suspending and reversing disciplinary decisions to breaking the laws of the game over a half-time show, nothing gets in the way of pleasing his friends.<\/p>\n \u201cInfantino has debased the office of FIFA President that he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the FIFA Peace Prize winner.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n Today I join others from across our game and call for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA President.<\/p>\n Infantino has debased the office that he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve. <\/p>\n He has\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Lu\u00eds Figo (@LuisFigo) August 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Figo joined a growing global chorus that is calling for football to move on from Infantino, a group that now also includes Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said \u201cCertainly I don\u2019t have confidence in Mr. Infantino.\u201d<\/p>\n However having now survived this week\u2019s crisis meeting, it seems unlikely there will be any challenge to the Swiss\u2019s leadership until a potential formal vote at the next FIFA Congress in March 2027.<\/p>\n FOOTBALL360 DAILY: Get the football news you need delivered straight to your inbox every day > <\/a><\/p>\n